


The Scientist's Assistant

by Eruka_Crauw



Series: Doctor's Doodles [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Drug use/abuse, HA GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYbies, M/M, Masochism, Pole Dancing, Rough Sex, cause hell yes, mentions of previous abuse, slight bloodplay?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-22 16:32:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 72,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4842560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eruka_Crauw/pseuds/Eruka_Crauw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>William Masbath is a rocket scientist confined to the slums of Chicago, circa the early 1920s. Samuel Sauber is a casino owner only four blocks from William's family home. A chance meeting brings the two men together.</p><p>This was an rp started by my best friend and I. She doesn't have an AO3 account, but her deviantArt account is jellyfishdoodler, so you should go check out her amazing artwork! William was created after I watched the movie Sleepy Hollow. Y'know, the one where Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane. Anyway, William is related to Young Masbath. Samuel was based on my friend's OC Slots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter shouldn't have much that is very bad in this, but it's rated explicit with graphic depictions of violence because of later chapters. ((PS, I played William, my friend played Samuel.))

It was a loud night at the Casino. All the machines were full of people blowing their money and the bar full of drunks dancing along to the jazz band playing in the middle of the whole mess of commotion. Luckily for Samuel, he had once again locked himself in his office to fill out some paperwork. His deep red vest hung on the back of his chair as his suspenders dangled at his sides.  
He ran a hand through his black hair and sat back in his leather chair. A knock at his door made him sit up and pull his suspenders over his shoulders once more, "Open." He said gruffly. One of his employees pocked his head in, "Uh, sorry to bother you sir, but you're needed on stage to welcome the guests.." Sam sighed and nodded, "Gimme a minute."  
He walked up on stage, scanning over the crowd with a simple smile and held the mic up to his lips, "Good evening everybody, and welcome to my Casino. I hope you all have an enjoyable time drinking and playing your luck. I'm sure SOMEBODY will walk out of here with at least a million dollars in their pocket." The audience chuckled, "Anyway, please, enjoy your night, and if you have any requests, do not hesitate to ask a member of the staff. We pride ourselves on making your stay enjoyable." He gave the mic back to the lead singer of the band and walked off the stage after people clapped and whistled at him. He ignored them of course.  
William sighs, taking a sip out of the whisky glass in his hand. He looks around at the other patrons of the casino from where he sat at the bar. Failure after failure had led him to drinking again, and his lab assistant had quit after the most recent one. He barely registered the man onstage speaking to the idiots wasting their money as he took a big gulp.  
Samuel walked into the bar area and took the only empty seat, he ordered a quick margarita and smiled stiffly at the bartender. She always gave him weird looks when he ordered from his own bar. He crossed his arms over the table and slouched a bit, sighing out and running a hand through his hair. Damn, he had a lot of paperwork to do. And not to mention the mafia's goons always on his back about the payments.. he could really go for something stronger, but Sam didn't feel like making mistakes in his work.  
William looks blearily over to his left, surprised to see the man from onstage sitting and drinking just a seat away. William takes another big gulp of his drink, glaring at the ice in his now empty glass. He calls the bartender over for another, a cocktail this time. "I'll have a rum and cola please." He asks her in a gruff voice. "Sure thing, mister." She says cheerily. William notices as she looks warily at the other man, then back at him with a fake smile. "Here you are!" Her voice dripping with mock excitement. William raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he took a drink.  
Samuel got his drink as well and took a small sip, sighing out and holding his chin in his hand as he propped his arm up on the counter. "Long night for everybody.." He muttered out to nobody in particular, trying to tune out the blaring music just behind them.  
"Agreed." William replies absentmindedly, not realising he had spoken aloud.  
Sam blinked a few times and glanced over at the man besides him, "... So then. What's your story?" He asked casually, a bit stiff as he took another longer sip of his drink.  
William turns to look stupidly at Sam. "I'm sorry, we're you talking to me?"  
The black-haired man turned his head and nodded, his eyes half-lidded and a plain look on his face, "Yeah. What brings you here? Obviously it's not for the gambling."  
William looks down at his drink, embarrassed. "Heh, uh yeah, no gambling for me. I uh, I just had a really rough day, is all." William hopes the man isn't a regular here. He'd be mortified if the man knew he came here almost every week to drink his failures away.  
Samuel hummed a bit, "I hear you there, mate." He downed the rest of the drink before waving over the girl and ordering his usual. "Work is stressful, no matter what you're doing." He spun the glass in his hand a bit.  
William looked up at Samuel, giving him a once over. As far as he could tell, the man beside him seemed to be fairly well off. "I agree, but I'm curious to know what such a well off fellow like you does for a living that's so stressful." William takes a big gulp of his half abandoned drink.  
The man laughed a bit and nodded in thanks when the girl handed him his drink, "Well.. Paperwork, mostly. Paying off people my father left me to deal with. Handling trouble makers who cause a larger racket than usual around here." He generally waved around the establishment. "Taking over a Casino is busy work." He rolled his eyes and took a good sip of his drink. "What about yourself? You seem to have it a little worse than I."  
William looked at the man with a look of great surprise. 'Just my luck! This guy not only comes here often, he fucking OWNS the place!' William sighs, rubbing his face in his hands. "I guess you could say I have it pretty bad, actually. I'm a scientist, but not a very good one according to my last assistant."  
"Oh really?" This really peaked his interest, "What kind of science do you do, Mr...?"  
"Masbath. William Masbath." William holds out a hand towards Samuel. "I am a rocket scientist from a very small town near New York. And what is your name, dare I ask?"  
He took his hand and shook his hand firmly, "Samuel. Samuel Sauber. Pleased to meet you." He nodded and pulled his hand back and picked up his drink again. "Huh, that's pretty interesting, actually."  
William cocked his head to the side slightly. "How so?"  
"Well, I'm not very science oriented, so, it's a new field for me. What exactly goes into the whole.. rocket.. science.. thing?" Sam was a casino owner, not a braniac. But it still interested him a bit.  
William rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, it's an extremely advanced practice that most people wouldn't understand. I myself went to school for 8 years to get my doctorate whilst learning and experimenting with rockets and other related sciences." William looked excitedly at Samuel. "Wouldn't you agree that reaching the stars would be the best scientific feat in the entirety of the 20th century? If I was successful, I could possibly bring Americans into the cosmos within the next 6 years!" William looked down suddenly, his excitement melting into disappointment. "But sadly I don't have the resources to actually achieve my goals."  
He turned back toward his drink, downing the glass in one go. "But whatever. My stupid wishes are just that: petty."  
Samuel perked up a bit as William talked about his dreams to head into space. He couldn't help but smile at it, even, which was a pretty rare sight for everyone. "Wow, that does sound amazing. Save a ticket to the moon for me." He chuckled a bit but frowned when his enthusiasm dropped, "Hey now. Don't go beating yourself up, eh? You'll get there eventually." He took a sip of his drink and sighed, "Someone'll bound to notice and fund your project. Trust me, it's a good idea. It just needs to get off the ground first."  
William gave a wan smile. "Heh, yeah. I hope so..." He pauses for a few moments, debating what to say next. He looks up and notices the barwitch's surprise at Sam smiling. He looked over at Sam, the other man still smiling. 'Wow, he's actually kind of cute... I wonder if he's single' William thinks, accidentally saying the last word aloud.  
Sam's smile dropped a bit and raised an eyebrow, "Why, uh, yeah, I'm single. Why do you ask?" he laughed a bit awkwardly, scratching the back of his head a bit before letting his hand drop.  
William flushed, stammering, "Wh-Wha- I-I, I wasn't asking or - " William looks up, making eye contact with Sam. 'Holy shit he's hot.' "Fuck..." William mutters, digging a palm into his eye socket. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to uh pry or anything.. I just uh..." William trailed off, any reasoning in his head sounding fake and cold.  
The man blinked a few times, before softly reply, "Hey, mate, it's alright. I don't mind." He tried a smile again, a small dimple forming in his cheek, "Believe me, I get asked weirder questions than that on a daily basis." He chuckled a bit before turning back and taking a long drink of his strait vodka. He could really hold his alcohol, but didn't feel like risking getting tipsy.  
William looked up hesitantly. "Fuck, sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, though." 'Dammit, the alcohol is really taking its toll tonight' William could feel his face growing hot and his vision started to sway around the edges slightly as the alcohol started to take its course into his bloodstream. "Well ... I think it's about time I make my leave... It was very nice meeting you Mister Sauber. Now if you'll excuse me." William quickly got up, his face still very red. He took a single step and fell down.  
"You didn't- Woah there!" He quickly jumped out of his stool and grabbed William's arm, helping him back up before he could fall on his face. "Do you need me to hail a cab for you, mate?" Some people from the bar were looking over, but Samuel really didn't care about them right now. He started helping the man towards the door.  
William shook his head blindly. "I can walk home just fine, I only live a few blocks away..." He stumbled again, tightening his grip on Samuel.  
He shook his head sternly, "No way. You'll get yourself hit by a car like this.." He thought for a moment, "If you like, you could just stay here for the night. We have a few extra rooms upstairs or there's a couch in my office if you'd like?" He suggested kindly. He didn't know why, but this man seemed.. different- or more so, a bit relatable than others. He wasn't loud or rude like others who come into the place. Besides, he was flat out drunk this one, he knew he wouldn't make it out the door on his own at this rate.  
William contemplated Samuel's offer for a moment before lightly nodding his head. "O-okay. You're right. Uh, lead the way then, I uh guess..."  
Sam couldn't help but smile at the smaller man. If he was honest with himself, he was kinda adorable this way. "Alright then, here we go." He adjusted them so one of Willem's arms was around Samuel's neck as Sam wrapped a firm, but gentle arm around his midsection, "My office doesn't smell like dead sex, so it'll probably be more comfortable in there. Plus, not as much noise." And with that, he helped the man around the corner and down the hall a bit until they reached his somewhat small office.  
"Dead sex? Is that what that smell is?" William asked, chuckling darkly. "So are you a necrophiliac or do you just sleep around a lot?" William stumbles and falls onto the armchair in the corner of the room, somehow managing to twist his body so that he plops his but squarely in the seat. William lets out a big sigh. "This is going to suck in the morning."  
"If you want a blunt answer, I meant old semen staining the mattresses." He replied while inwardly rolling his eyes. He couldn't call the man out or get upset with him. He was drunk. "Besides, that was more of my father's stature. Sleeping around, I mean." He walked past his desk and poured a glass of water, walking back over and handing it to the smaller man, "Drink this. It should help a little bit."  
"Pfffft, I've had hangovers before. I'll be fine. It's not like this is the most I've had to drink. I only had like..." William pauses to count silently, holding up a few fingers as he stares at the ceiling. "I dunno, maybe 5 or 6 drinks? I can't remember too well... Whatever." William suddenly bolted upright, grabbing Samuel's wrist tightly. "Wait, where are you going to sleep?"  
He didn't jump when he grabbed his wrist, he was quite used to handling drunks, "Doesn't matter how many you had. Just drink the water." He pulled Willem's hand off his wrist and replaced it with the glass of water. "And I have a personal bedroom for myself in the back, don't worry about me." He stepped back a little and tried a soft grin before going back to his desk and sitting down at it, "Besides, I might not get much sleep anyway. I still have a few forms to fill out and some deals to settle before midnight." He looked over at the clock and sighed, picking up his pen and starting his work.  
William frowned at the water, taking it from the taller man. He shifted awkwardly. "Well why don't you stay here with me or something while you do your forms or whatever? I can keep you company.." William took a sip of water. He got the feeling that Samuel wasn't amused with him anymore. 'Great. The guy has a nice ass and I've gone and fucked up my chance of *getting that*.'  
"Don't worry, I'm probably not gonna move from this spot unless something else important or otherwise comes up." Samuel glanced up at the other man at the sound of him muttering, feeling like hey, fuck it, and gave him a sly wink. Smirking to himself as he looked back down at his papers.  
William missed the wink, too busy with his whirling thoughts, but he heard Samuel. "Oh good." He said unintelligently. 'Wait, he said he doesn't mind.. Does that mean he *fancies men?*'  
Not looking up from his work this time, he put on his small reading glasses and scanned the page, "Only on Tuesdays." He said in a joking tone. He knew he should probably stop replying to the man's mumbling, but it was rather adorable seeing him all flustered like that. He tried not to think about it for too long though, keeping an unreadable face.  
William looked up, confused. "Tuesdays? What about Tuesday?"  
Samuel chuckled lowly and shook his head, a few strands of hair falling in his face, "Forget about it. It's.. an old joke between me and a buddy of mine." He set his pen down after signing a document and stood up, walking over to the closet build into the wall and pulled out an extra throw pillow and a small blanket he kept around just in case. Setting them on the couch he looked up at the clock. "I think it would be best for you to get some sleep, eh, William?" He asked in a soft voice.  
William looked up at the man beside the couch only a few feet away. Am indecipherable look was held in the eyes of the man before him as he stared. "..."  
The tall man looked over at the smaller, catching his eyes and he blinked slowly. Damn he was drunk alright. He cleared his voice a bit and tried again, "William?" He slightly raised his eyebrow, not quite able to read the man's expression.  
William snapped out of his momentary stupor. "Huh? Oh, sorry... Yeah, I'll get on to bed then." William got up carefully and made his way to the couch. He took off his coat and vest, taking care to unbutton his shoes and fold up his clothes before setting them in a neat pile beside the couch. William took off his glasses and squinted up at Samuel, studying his face. "I just realised that your eyes are golden. How peculiar..." He got up and close to Samuel, his nose scrunched up in thought. '*The more I look at him the more attractive he is...*' "Interesting..."  
Samuel didn't flinch or back away, allowing the man to look, he even leaned his head down a bit so he could see them a bit better, "Oh? Well, my mother used to tell me they're that way because my heart of gold couldn't contain itself, so it spilled over. Heh. But in reality it's possibly just a birth defect or some-such." The very tips of his ears burned, but nothing else really allowed the other man to read him. "Thank you." He grinned softly before finally stepping back half a step.  
William shakes his head in attempt to clear it and sits back down on the couch. "Jesus, I did it again didn't I? I need to sleep this off... Thank you again for your bed." "I-I mean for your hospitality."  
Samuel chuckled quietly, "It's no sweat." He ruffled the smaller one's hair as if he were a kid and went and turned out the light, "Sleep tight." And like that, he headed to the back of his office and into his personal room.  
William blushed momentarily at the taller man's action. "Good night, Samuel."  
Later that night, when Samuel knew William was out cold, he carefully sneaked out of his office. The casino was dead quiet for it had closed a few hours ago. Good. He carefully stepped out into the middle of the room after silently closing his office door. He walked up to the stage and put a hand on it, listening closely for something, or somebody. He glanced around before he hopped up onto the polished wooden platform and went up to the piano. His fingers stroked over a few keys in a simple song before he looked around again, sitting down at the piano.  
Unable to sleep again, he tried to keep his mind off of things for a while. A simple song usually did the trick.  
William stirred restlessly on the couch, eyes twitching behind fluttering eyelids. He bolted upright with a gasp, unable to remember the dream that woke him. He sat up, hugging his knees for a few minutes. He perked up at a peculiar sound somewhere in the casino. "What on earth IS that?" He quietly asks aloud. He gets up, the fogginess in his head almost completely gone now and slowly being replaced by a slight headache.  
William opens the door carefully, making sure not to make a noise and startle whomever was the source of the music starting to radiate through the casino. A haunting melody drifts through the air as William tiptoes over to the balcony to look out over and at the stage.  
Samuel was a little out of practice, but he slowly got the hang of his hands and continued playing with a little more passion. His head nodding along to the tempo as he played. Memories of his past gentle floating around his mind. His mother's smile. Playing with his old buddies. Going on treasure hunts.. But they slowly turned to more dismal thoughts. His mother's murder. His father beating him. The scars and stitches that stayed with him.. He continued playing, the song drifting through the mostly empty building, and as it echoed back, it reminded him of possible ghosts playing along.  
William stared in awe as he watched Samuel play the piano, thin fingers running nimbly over the ivory keys. William listened to his song, smiling wistfully at the man way down below.  
He started to hum quietly along with the melody as it became easily read as to what keys were played next.  
Towards the end of the song, Samuel's muscles were tensed up, like he was ready to punch somebody. His jaw clenching and unclenching at the thoughts brewing in his mind. How much he hated his father, how much he hated running this damned place, and how he knew in his gut one day he would wake up a dead man because of it all. His hand fumbled, causing him to get frustrated and slam his hands on the keys- letting out a distasteful sound as he stayed there. Not moving. Minus the slight bouncing of his shoulders, biting his lip as he held back tears. The stress of it all really getting to him. He was just glad nobody was around. He rubbed his face and sighed, slumping in the stool as he stared down at the worn keys.  
William jumped when Samuel slammed down the keys, accidentally bumping into one of the posts on the balcony, letting out a dull thud that resounded through the empty casino. William quickly ducked down and back into Samuel's office and dove onto the couch, heart pounding in his chest.  
The black haired man turned around at the sound of the thud, scanning the balcony then the rest of the building before sighing and standing up. Running a hand through his hair, he started his way back towards his office. He really needed to try and sleep for once.  
He crept into his office, trying not to disturb William, as he quietly snuck back towards his own room.  
William held his breath as Samuel padded past him, but let it out when the taller man closed the door. "Thank god he didn't see me... He seemed really angry...' William turned back over away from the couch back, and soon fell back asleep.  
Later the next morning, more so around 10:30 AM, Sam finally stirred awake. He blinked a few times before slowly sitting up and stretching out, not realizing he ditched his shirt sometime in the night. He hopped out of bed and pulled some pants on before heading out into his main office with a yawn. He caught a glimpse over at the couch. 'Oh yeah,' he thought, 'I let this guy William crash here last night 'cause he was drunk.' He blinked a few times before going back into his room to fully get ready for his work day ahead of him. William slowly opens his eyes, blinking in the semi-darkness of the room. 'What time is it...?' He thinks. He sits up with a groan, the blanket falling off of him. "What the...? Where the hell am I?" William asks aloud, pressing his palms into his eyes to lessen the pressure in his head. William gets up carefully, walking over to a cup of water on the desk across from him. 'Fuck it.' He thinks as he takes the water and downs it in one go. The headache is slightly better, but it's still a constant throbbing behind his eyes.  
The disheveled scientist turns slightly and notices a light coming out from under a door at the back of the room, shadows dancing under it.  
William walks over to the door and opens it, shielding his eyes from the light.  
Samuel pulled on his suspenders, clipping them to his pants before pulling on his dark grey vest. Turning a bit to look at William, "Morning." He said simply with a soft grin, walking over to the mirror so he could style his hair a bit easier. "How'd you sleep, William?"  
William stares blankly at Samuel, his face going red as he tries to recall the previous night's events. But his mind kept coming up with guttered scenes. "I, uh, what?"  
William runs a hand through his hair, messing it up even further. "I'm sorry mister, but I seem to have forgotten your name..." William gulps as his faces reddens even further. "Did we ummm... "  
"Did we have sex? No. You were just drunk off your ass and walking home was a bad idea for you." He finished styling his hair before he stood up strait again and turning towards him, "Samuel." He replied with a soft smile. "You were telling me about your rocket technicians last night. Quite an interesting profession, if I may say."  
William let out a strangled squeak at Samuel and his straightforward nature, which sounded quite strange coming from the normally baritone man. "Uh, umm thank you... Mister Samuel. I am so sorry if I caused you any trouble..."  
Samuel waved it off casually, "Don't worry about it, mate. Nothing bad happened." He walked over and put a reassuring hand on the shorter man's shoulder. "Besides, it was actually nice to have a bit of company." He grinned gently before letting him go, "But, I have to go and open up shop now." He sighed a bit, "You're welcome to stay if you like until your headache subsides, but, I have some things to attend to." He nodded to him before heading out of his office, leaving the door open.  
William stiffened under the taller man's touch, and stayed stock still until he left the room. "Oh my word, what am I even doing? Good Edison, I need to calm down..." William muttered to himself, running his hands through his hair. He turned swiftly on his heel, walking back into the room he woke up in. He fumbles around for a light switch in the semi-dark room, his eyes now maladjusted to his surroundings. He finally finds and flips the switch, squinting at the odd room. He pads over to where his clothes lay, redressing himself quickly.  
William walked out of the room as soon as he had dressed, his hair still mussed from sleep and being drunk the night previous. He stops at the stage, looking up at the piano on stage.  
"...?" William faintly recalls a beautiful piano solo, but can't for the life of him remember where he heard it. He quietly sings it to himself as he walks passed Samuel towards the door.  
Samuel waved at him, "Come back again tomorrow?" He asked him just as he walked by, a slight hopeful gleam in his eye. This man was.. different. He wanted to get to know him a little better.  
William nods, a small smile on his face as he continues to hum the melody, a little louder now. He walks out the door, heading down to his small flat.  
Sam just caught the end of his humming and his ears warmed up a bit. Did.. he hear him playing last night..? No, of course not! He was fast asleep.. right? Samuel shook his head and headed back to getting things ready for the place to open.  
William walks down the street, turning the corner. After a few more blocks of walking, he stops in front of an old house. The paint was peeling, the roof had a hole five feet across (a VERY dangerous experiment gone wrong) and a bright red door. The door seemed to be the only new thing added to the house in the last 20 years, despite all the other houses in the neighbourhood having been built with in the last 10 years. William sighed, searching his pockets for the old bronze key to the front door, but couldn't find it. With another great sigh, William walked over to one of the large, dirty windows on either side of the door. He pressed his palm against the right hand corner of the window frame, pushing hard until the glass swung up. William crawled through the window, landing on the ground with a thud. "Today is going to be a long day, I can already tell." He murmured from his spot on the floor.  
"Now all I need to do is find a new assistant," William said as he got up and brushed his coat off. He pushed the window back down into place, taking off his overcoat and placing it on the coat rack behind the door.

-time skip to the next evening-

Later the next night, Samuel was pacing back and fourth on the side of the stage. One of the band members called in sick and there was no word from their understudy. The head singer quickly came up to him, "Boss, we need somebody to man the trumpet! Bobby hasn't showed up and Tomtom hasn't said nothin'."  
Samuel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Can't you play without him?"  
"No way man, trumpet is the soul of the whole thing..! Please boss? Can't you do it..?"  
He gave the man a hard look for a good minute before Samuel caved and groaned out, "Fine. Fine fine fine. Let's get this over with." He grumbled out before plastering on a smile and getting up on stage with the head singer.  
William stood at the entrance to the casino, contemplating whether or not he should go in. 'I promised Mister Samuel I would come back tonight... I wonder why he wanted me to come back...?' He thought. 'Fine. I'll go in.'  
William walked through the doors confidently, sitting down at one of the tables in front of the stage. He called a waitress over, ordering a virgin vodka tonic water. He didn't want to get drunk again. He looked up at the stage, a look of surprise on his face when he saw Samuel up there with the band, a trumpet in hand.  
The lead singer swaggered up to the mic, grabbing it and introducing himself and the band, and explained with a flourish that the owner of the casino himself would be standing in for the trumpet player. The crowd clapped and cheered a bit then quieted down when they started.  
Samuel himself started the song out slow on the trumpet but then the drums kicked in and the sound of dancing music boomed through the building. Some people jumping out of their seats, grabbing partners and heading for the dance floor.  
William watched in shock as Samuel played the trumpet as if he had played his whole life. "GAH!" William exclaimed as an excitable woman ripped him out of his seat and started swinging him around in some form of a dance. He quickly started to lead, deftly matching her quick, bouncing movements. William laughed as he spun her away, then back into his arms, letting her slide underneath him in one movement, then thrown up in the air in the next. He caught her easily, the woman staggering away with laughter back towards her friends as William was left to dance by himself. William swing his hips to the beat of the music, his arms held over his head, not a care in the world who saw.  
Samuel scanned over the audience a few times, able to pick out William quite easily, he kept himself from laughing as he played. He wasn't a bad dancer with a partner. But solo, golly that was one hell of a hilarious sight. He closed his eyes and continued to play the up-beat tune along with the rest of the band. He tapped his foot along to the beat to keep time and swung his hips a little bit, dancing in place in a slight bounce motion, feeling more at home playing on stage than he is alone in his office.  
William looked up at the stage to see Samuel dancing a bit as well. He laughed again as one of the woman's friends wanted to dance as well. Soon, the song ended, and William was left breathless and excited, sitting back in his seat with his untouched drink.  
The band members bowed real quick before picking up another bouncy song.  
After a few more songs, they started to slow down a little bit, allowing Samuel to sneak off stage and go to visit the shorter scientist. He slid into the chair in front of him and grinned, "Nice moves you had out there." He chuckled lightly.  
William smiled bash fully at the taller man. "Oh, uh, I'm not really that good of a dancer because I prefer singing over dancing, but thank you anyway!"  
"Bullshit!" He laughed a bit, "Aw man, scientist, dancer, singer. You're a man of many talents it seems, Mister William." He grinned and waved down a waitress, ordering a smaller sized mug of booze.  
"Oh, I'm not very talented at all, really... My mother was much better than I was." William looked down at his drink, taking a sip. "But you are definitely a man of much better talents, Mister Samuel! I have never seen a better trumpet player in my life!" William swirled his drink thoughtfully. "Did your father teach you, or had you some other form of lesson?"  
He tensed up a bit but didn't let it show in his face, he smiled casually, "My father did teach me how to play that yeah, but my mother taught me how to play a bit of the piano before she.. passed away." He smiled sadly, nodding at the waitress who brought his drink. "So then, what have you been working on recently? You told me last night you work in the field of rockets and such."  
William looked surprised. "I did? I-I don't recall..."  
"Well, you were quite drunk so it's understandable." He rests his elbows on the table, picking up his glass and taking a long drink.  
William looked down at his drink, embarrassed. "I-oh. Well , um, the project I was working on before my last assistant quit was the experimentation on the effects of the vacuum of space on human bodies, and, well...."  
William brushed his hair back and out of his face with a careless combing through with his hand. "Let's just say my assistant did not agree with my methods..." William chuckled nervously.  
Samuel tilted his head a bit, now curious, "What sort of methods?"  
William rubbed the back of his neck, his ears going pink. "Well since no one ALIVE was willing to help me with my experiment, I had to go to the morgue and pick up a body there."  
William continued to stare down at his drink. "It wasn't very decomposed, thankfully, but my assistant already hated where my experiment was going."  
"Long story short, I found out the effects of a human body in space."  
That caught him a bit off guard, going quiet for a moment before laughing out a bit. "You grave-robbed a body to test what would happen to it in space? Ha! You're a riot, Will." He chuckled a bit more before grinning, "I like your methods!" He lightly slammed his fist on the table, "A lot better than using an animal or an actual live human, anyway." He commented, taking another sip of his drink.  
"Well it wasn't grave robbing persay, due to the corpse never being in the ground, but yes, it is more humane." William looked at Samuel with a smile. "In a way." William took another drink from his glass, a question forming in his mind.  
"Mister Samuel? Are you truly interested in my work?"  
He chuckled again, slowly shaking his head, "Incredible." He looked up again, raising his eyebrow a little, "It's definitely interesting, and quite the dream, I'll give you that. Why do you ask?" He lifted his drink to his lips to take another long drink.  
"If you are quite okay and unfazed with my...methods, I would like to give you an offer."  
Samuel slowly lowered his drink, interested, "What sort of offer?"  
William looked Samuel hesitantly in the eye. "You see, since I've lost my lab assistant rather recently, I have had absolutely no luck in finding another one."  
William took another sip. "I was wondering if you would like to assist me in my research."  
He was actually taken a little aback by this. He leaned back in his chair and thought it over for a moment, "That.. does sound like it could be quite an adventure.. What kind of things would you have me be doing?" He asked, leaning forward again, propped up on his elbows.  
William smiled wide, sharp canines showing through his full lips. "Oh, it would really depend on where my research leads me, but some of the things previous assistants did were give feedback, help me clean up any -ahem- *messes*, and mostly just keep me company, overseas even if need be."  
"I know it won't be very much, but I could pay you if you wanted."  
Samuel mulled it over in his mind, thinking it over, "... You realize I can't be all the time, right? I still have my own business to run." He made a gester to their surroundings. "But, if I do take you up on that offer, I'd be more than willing to help you out." He lazily grinned at him, "No payment required."  
William started to shake with excitement. "Oh thank you so much Mister Samuel! You don't need to worry about working full time, you could work part time if you wanted! It doesn't matter!" William grabbed Samuel's hand and shook it vigorously.  
Samuel laughed softly and firmly shook his hand back, "Call me Samuel, or, Sam, whatever." He dropped his hand and picked up his drink holding it out, "To business partners?"  
William smiles even wider, holding up his glass. "To business partners!"  
He grinned softly and clinked their glasses together before taking a long, satisfying drink. "Ahh. That hit the spot. So then," He set his glass down a bit harder than intended, "When do I start?"  
William finished off the rest of his drink with a satisfied sigh and twitched excitedly. "Tomorrow, if possible!"  
Samuel nodded and grinned, "I think I can do that!" And from the stage the head singer called for Sam to get his butt back on stage.  
Samuel glared at him muttering, "He'll be lucky if I don't make him pay for that." And smirked at William, showing him he was just joking. Well, mostly. And he stood up from the table, "I'm sorry, please excuse me."  
William waved him off. "It's fine, I'll be heading out in a moment anyway." William takes a small notebook and a pencil out of his pocket, flipping to a clean page over halfway through the book. "Here's my address where I work." William said as he scribbled it down, ripped the page out, and held it out for Samuel. "I'll be available Monday through till Sunday, excluding Thursdays. Any time you feel like helping around, or even just lazing about, just let yourself in. If the door doesn't work, the window pushes open." William stated cheerily.  
The tall man couldn't help but chuckle, he took the paper and scanned over it, "Perfect! I'll be there say, sometime after noon?" He shoved the piece of paper into his pants pocket with a nod, walking backwards towards the stage once again.  
William smiled widely again. "You won't regret it, I promise!" He called after him.  
'God I hope not.' Samuel thought to himself as he climbed back up on stage, this time, taking a seat at the piano while the other guy traded him for the trumpet. The band decided on another slower song before they would pick it up again.  
William smiled, excited over his new partnership as he walked out the doors of the casino and headed home.  
The next day, Samuel drove up to the address William had given him... Looking at the house then back down at the address, checking to see if it was right. "You'd think his space would be better maintained." He mumbled to himself as he parked and got out of the car, slamming the door shut and heading to the front door. He used the heavy brass door knocker then stepped back, waiting for some kind of sound from the house to tell him to come in.  
A jolt of surprise runs through William as he wakes up, falling off of the desk he had fallen asleep on. A loud thud resounds through the house, then a groan as William gets up quickly. He runs downstairs, putting on and buttoning up his shirt haphazardly. He flings the door open, a smile breaking out on his face as he looks up at the tall man in front of him. "Samuel! You came!" He says breathlessly.  
Samuel was taken aback by William's entrance. He noted that his hair was more wild than normal and his shirt was buttoned up awkwardly. He smiled to himself, "'Course I did! I promised, didn't I?" He grinned and stepped into the building, looking around. "Did I wake you or something? You look like you just fell out of bed." He laughed out lightly.  
William looked down at himself, then set about unbuttoning and fixing his shirt. "Uh, yeah, sorry. I was up late last night..."  
The taller man chuckled quietly, "Don't sweat it, it's all good." He grinning, putting his hands on his hips as he looked around a bit more, "Nice place you got. Though, I think it would use a little renovations here and there."  
William looked around at his house unflinchingly. He frowned slightly. "Renovations? I don't quite see what's wrong with it. I mean, once I get the money to fix the roof I'll be just fine, but other than that..." William trailed off, buttoning his shirt back up (correctly this time).  
Samuel shrugged, "Ah, never mind. It's vintage. I like it." He nodded and turned back to William, "So, what're gonna be up to today then, Dr. William?"  
William rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I don't know..." He snapped up, a finger pointed in the air. "Aha! I still haven't cleaned up the mess from my last experiment! I know it won't be too fun, but I'll need to use my vacuum chamber again to test some sort of suit to prevent the... Ah... *effects* of space."  
Samuel was used to more grueling tasks than cleaning up a body. He nodded and saluted to him. "Lead the way, boss." He mused.  
"Oh good! Right this way, then!" William said cheerfully. He started walking towards the back of the house, coming across a large bookshelf. William moved to the side of the bookshelf, pushing it aside to reveal a door behind it. William let out a satisfied sigh as he dusted himself off. "Sorry about that, I haven't had the time to make new locking mechanisms for the door, so I had to improvise." William puts a hand on the doorknob, suddenly hesitating. "I, uh, recommend you plug your nose or something..." He mutters as he opens the door.  
Samuel followed close behind him, hands in his pockets before he put the crook of his elbow over his mouth and nose, gagging just slightly from the all too familiar smell, "Damnit man, how long as that body been in here?" He groaned out before stepping in behind the smaller man, looking around the space with wide eyes, "Woah.."  
William looked over at the hand built chamber, blood and gore splattered messily against the inside of the glass screen. Trash and the broken remains of glass beakers and bottle lie on the floor as if they were thrown. A large table fills the right side of the room, glasses, tubing, and chemicals strewn about on it in a complicated-looking array. A surgeons table lay in the middle of the room, flipped on its side. A large hole in the far left corner of the cement floor was tinted a slight green, more broken glass and a slight amount of smoke surrounding it. A decapitated body lies with the neck against the edge of the hole, burn marks around the neck. "Sorry about the sight, Mister Samuel. Like I said, I haven't been able to tidy up quite yet. I've been quite busy with other more important matters, like finding a new assistant."  
"Heh, I can see that." He looked over at the wall and grabbed a broom, "Where do we start the cleanup and when does science happen?" He mused, walking over to the table, turning it right up with ease. He knew what all this mess meant.. he figured the scientist had a few meltdowns while doing his work. He'd seen plenty of shattered bottles and wreckage from despair and self hatred. Pushing the thought aside, he started sweeping up some of the glass.  
"Sweeping like you are now seems like a good plan." William says, padding carefully over to the headless body in the corner. He picks it up and throws it over his shoulder. "Don't worry about Nicolas, here, I'll take care of him. I'll also clean up the chemicals." William pauses. "Oh, and, don't touch the glass with your bare hands. You may possibly burn your skin off. There are a pair of gloves in the cupboard, to your left there."  
William steps back around all the glass, ignoring the few small 'sizzles' from his feet as he walks back out of the room. He grabs a few choice chemicals on his way out.  
Samuel cocked an eyebrow when he tossed the body over his shoulder like it was a crumped up piece of paper. What had he just signed up for? But he nodded anyway and went to get the gloves, pulling them on and continuing to sweep up. "This.. is going to be interesting." He said quietly to himself.  
About an hour or so later, William comes back to his lab empty handed, but now with shoes and an apron on. He looks around at the almost clean room approvingly. "Wow, you're a fast worker."  
"Practice cleaning up after my pig of a father as a kid." He said off-handedly, dumping a bag of trash into a can he had dragged in from outside the lab. He cleaned up the floors, carefully sponged down the tables (after burning two sponges he got the hang of it), and even changed out a few lightbulbs that had blown out over the operating table. "I thought you said you were just a rocket engineer?"  
William chuckled. "I dabble in human sciences as well sometimes. I DID double major in Psychology as well as Rocket Sciences." William smiled wistfully. "It's just so interesting how humans work, both mentally and physically." William shook his head, his smile fading a bit. "But no matter, I need to clean the vacuum chamber now so I can continue with my testing. I need you to make sure that the door does not close, okay?"  
William steps towards the side of the chamber, turning a wheel that looks like it was stolen from a pirate ship. A large chunk of metal swings out, presumably the door, as William takes a deep breath. "YOU WILL NOT under any circumstances CLOSE THIS DOOR, are we understood?"  
Samuel nodded, "I don't feel like ending up like that guy, so I'll be fine there." Opting to get an extra piece of cloth and tying it over his mouth and nose so he won't inhale anything while he's cleaning, "Stand by the kill switch?" He asked while picking up a mop and bucket of water as well as a block of wood just in case.  
William shook his head. "There is none. I designed this thing to turn on as soon as the hatch is closed, which was very stupid in foresight."  
William held the door open for Samuel to keep open before he went inside.  
Samuel scoffed, "You think?" He rolled his eyes a bit as he hesitated in front of the door, sticking the block of wood in the gap just in case of it might swinging closed and locking him inside. Setting down the water bucket, he got to work, trying to ignore that he was cleaning actual human guts and blood.  
William grabbed a sponge from the bucket as he started to scrub away as well, his face completely neutral except for the strain of hard work. He still had no gloves on, but continued to scrub nonetheless.  
Samuel had to give the man points for having a strong stomach, but he didn't really say anything to William as they scrubbed away every last drop of crusted blood.  
Eventually, the pair was done, the chamber as clean as it could get. William let out a sigh, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. A slight smear of blood left over from the cleaning is now present on William's face. "Great job, Samuel! I wouldn't have been able to do this as fast as I could with you by my side," William beams as he continues. "Would you mind dumping the dirty water from the bucket outside, onto the rosebushes? They absolutely thrive off of it, and the neighbours throw a hissy-fit when I dump it in the street."  
"While you do that, I'll clean up the remaining chemicals, and tidy up just a bit more, okay?"  
Samuel pulled the cloth down around his neck and grinned a bit, "No problem." And with that, he picked up the bucket of now deep maroon water and carefully stepped out of the chamber, heading to the backyard like he told him to do.  
Along the way, Sam thought to himself, 'Is this guy for real..? He seemed pretty nice at the casino but.. this is HIS element. It shows another side to him.. hm.' He pushed the thought aside as he poured the muggy water into the garden, smiling a bit. Damn, he was right about the plants loving this stuff. They were gorgeous.  
William finishes up what he said he would do, then left the laboratory to go wash his hand properly in the kitchen sink. He looks out the window to see Samuel admiring the rosebushes with a smile. 'That man is amazing. I haven't seen a single person put up with me this long without being disgusted. And he's attractive too!' William walked out into the backyard towards Samuel, now clean hands shoved shallowly in his slacks' pockets. "You like my rosebushes, do you?"  
Samuel inwardly jumped, but turned to meet him with a smile while carefully peeling off his gloves, "They're the best I've seen. Not even the stores can top these." He turned back to them, leaning over a bit to smell one of the closer flowers.  
William smiled at the taller man. "My mother planted them when I was just a babe, but my father was the one who planted the maple tree there." William pointed at a huge tree, split down the centre about three feet from the ground. "My garden is over 30 years old now."  
He stood up again and looked over at the tree, "Oh wow. Hah, I've never really had a good way with plants. That was more of my own mother's thing, really." He smiled fondly at the memory. "Why is the tree split like that..?"  
William chuckles. "My father once told me that a bull rammed straight into the tree when it was just a sapling." William smiles at the tree, as if recalling a fond memory. "My curiosity, of course, was first brought about by the improbability of his statement, but he just laughed when I asked him how on earth a bull managed to wind up in the middle of the city."  
"Apparently his father had told him the same story he had told me, about the bull that is, for a cherry tree in the yard of my father's childhood home."  
Samuel chuckled, "Family tradition then?" he shook his head, "Sounds like you had a pretty alright life as a kid." He turned around and headed back towards William after running a hand over the tree's bark.  
William's smile fades a little. "I guess so, but my family was not very well off... We couldn't afford to feed ourselves most of the time, so eventually when my father got sick, we couldn't pay for his medicines. My mother couldn't afford to keep us kids anymore, so she married off my brothers to rich daughters, and my sisters to wealthy suitors. They didn't share an inkling of their wealth with my mother and I, selfish bastards."  
William scowled at the ground. "My mother spent what little money she had so that I could be successful. She payed for my college tuition when I was just 17. She wasted away not a year later..."  
Samuel cursed under his breath. "People like that make me sick.." He grumbled before cooling himself down and putting a hand on William's shoulder, "Your mother sounds like she was an amazing woman. To support her child with every essence, that's got to count for something.. I'm.. sorry for your losses, though... I can relate." He gave him a sad smile, lightly squeezing his shoulder to show a form of comfort.  
William smiled at Samuel. "Thank you. I am sorry for your own mother's loss, as well."  
"Well, anyway, the laboratory is clean now, so there isn't much use for you to stay here now. It is almost supper time, though."  
"Would you like to stay for supper, Mister Samuel?"  
He nodded sadly, glad to change the topic from thinking about his own family, "That sounds like it would be a splendid idea. And hey, it's just Samuel." He grinned and started back to the house with William.  
William inclined his head slightly, to show he heard as he lead the way into the kitchen. "Okay... Samuel. I shall prepare a supper for us, then. Tell me, is there something you would prefer to eat?"  
"Anything is alright with me." He replied with a nod, walking into the kitchen with him and pulling up a stool to sit at the small island in the middle of it, "Do you need any help with the cooking?"  
William shook his head as he took off the apron from cleaning and set in down next to the door. "I should be alright, Mist- *Samuel*. I have been cooking for myself for almost twenty years now!" William heads over to the fridge, and looks inside. "Oh thank science I still have some good meat left!" William exclaims, pulling two medium sized cuts of meat out of the fridge. He sets them down on a pan on the draining board as he turns the oven on.  
William roots around in the cupboard to find some spices for the meat as the oven heats up. ((He makes the fuckin food, half an hour later it's all done and delicious))  
"Voila! Chicken a la William!" William chuckles slightly as he sets a plate down in front of Samuel, a chicken breast and a pile of mashed potatoes steaming.  
Samuel grinned as he watched the smaller man worked, perking up a little at the sight of the meats being pulled out. He absent-mindedly watched him through the whole cooking process. But he snapped back up and smiled gratefully down at his food, just now remembering he hasn't eaten in the last two days due to stressing out over work and well, William. "This looks amazing." He picked up his fork and cut himself off a piece, eyes brightening, "Tastes as good as it looks! You're pretty good!" He complemented before putting a fork full of mashed potatoes in his mouth.  
William smiled at Samuel. "Thank you, my father taught me well, then!" William ate the small meal quickly, finishing long before Samuel did. William watched as Samuel finished up his meal, excited that the other enjoyed his cooking.  
As he finished up, he let out a satisfied sigh, "My compliments to the chef." He chuckled as he picked up his plate as well as William's bringing them over to the sink to be washed.  
William watches Samuel as he washes the dishes, chuckling quietly. 'Such the gentleman he is, too!'  
Samuel noticed it seemed to also have been a while since William had done the dishes. So he simply shrugged and turned on the sink, starting to wash the dishes then set them aside to dry.  
"Excuse me for asking, Samuel, but how exactly did you come across owning a casino? You seem to be quite young..." William asks suddenly.  
Samuel froze in place for a moment, mussels going stiff before he let out a quiet breath through his nose, continuing on with the washing, "My dead-beat father dumped it on me in his will before he got shot by a mafia leader. He also left me with all his debts still to pay. I have to pay the same man who murdered my mother in cold blood to make sure my casino doesn't burn to the ground." He scrubbed at a plate a bit roughly, threatening to almost break it in half, but he set is aside, taking a moment to compose himself. "So.. yeah. I'm a young owner. But I had no other choice... It's my home." He finished quietly, picking the cooking pan off the stove and filling the sink so it'll have a chance to soak a little while. He set his hands on the sink's counter, whole body ridged. Samuel didn't like talking about it. Never has. Not since his mother died and his father beat him every night after.  
William froze, eyes wide. "Oh..." He said in a small voice. "I am so sorry, I didn't know..." William looked down, putting his head in his hands. He lets out a wry laugh. "Fuck, I feel like such an ass now for complaining about how shitty MY life was. You must have had it ten times worse than I had..."  
Samuel calmed himself closing his eyes a moment and taking a breath before turning around, leaning against the counter, still a bit stiff, "It's alright, William.. Hah, we both had it pretty rough growing up." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down a bit, ears turning a little red, "I'm sorry for letting my emotions get ahead of me. The past, it's.. not my favorite topic." He forced a laugh.  
William frowned at Samuel, upset that the taller man was so distraught. "Apologies nonetheless." William paused. "How old are you, even? You said that you inherited the casino when you were twenty, but you don't look much older than that." William pauses again. "Oh my goodness, I am sorry that was a tad bit insensitive."  
Samuel chuckled softly, for real that time, "You're not wrong, though. I'm twenty five. My birthday is next month." He grinned lazily, slowly coming back down from his tenseness. William's quiet demeanor really helped calm his senses.  
William raised his eye brows in shock. "To be brutally honest I would have thought you were twenty-one or twenty-two." William stops, a smile breaking out on his face. "Really? What day?"  
"Hah! I wish man, I WISH." He laughed lightly before pushing himself off the counter, "Doesn't entirely matter, but, it's on the seventeenth. Ish." He grinned lightly at the smaller man.  
William smiled even wider. "One of my little sisters shares the same day of birth, coincidentally!" William chuckles. "She should actually be about the same age as you as well, maybe 24? 23?" William shakes his head. "I can't remember for the life of me."  
"I myself should be turning 30 in a few months." William says. William laughs loudly. "I just realised that when I was your age, I had just finished up at university!"  
"Really? Heh, I think I'd take you as being twenty seven at the youngest." He smiled before laughing along with him, "Mate, I never even got to START college! Let alone finish at a university." He shook his head, "You're a mad genius."  
William laughed again. "Indeed I am, but I prefer the term ENTHUSIASTIC. Mad makes me sound like I belong in an asylum, and we wouldn't want that!"  
"Oh no, of COURSE not." He rolled his eyes, lazily shoving his hands into his pockets. "Then there wouldn't be anything fun to do!" Samuel chuckled lightly, walking over to him, "Hey, if you do get throne in some day, I'll bust you out." He tapped William's forehead, "A big brain like that doesn't deserve to be locked up in a padded room for the rest of it's days." He smiled a bit, the small dimple forming in cheek once more.  
William chuckled. "No, I suppose it doesn't." William smiled up at the younger man. "Would you like to stay the night? The casino seems as if it would get rather lonely at night." He turns pink slightly. "I-if you want to, that is... I uh, I was just offering for if you wanted t-to stay..."  
Samuel hummed softly, "It does get a little lonely yes.." The memory of piles and piles of paperwork waiting for him to get back at his desk jumped into his mind. But he shoved it to the back of his brain, nodding happily, "That sounds like a splendid idea!"  
William smiled widely, showing off his sharp canines once again. "Wonderful! I have a few spare bedrooms you could use, or anywhere else you would prefer to sleep! Just, ah, not the third door to the left on the second floor."  
Samuel couldn't help but chuckle, "What? Is that the room where you keep all the dead bodies?" He laughed lightly, but in his head he was hoping he would say no and say it was just his bedroom or something.  
William laughed. "Oh heavens no! That's the room where the hole in the roof is! I wouldn't want my new assistant to catch his death!"  
"And anyway," William continued. "Any and all corpses would be confined to my laboratory."  
Samuel inwardly let out a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear at least... I should probably try to fix that sometime, eh?" He grinned at the smaller man again, content with their little conversations. It really put him at ease; in contrast from just sitting alone in his office all night.  
William smiled at Samuel relaxing, barely noticeable but still prominent. "Oh that would be just splendid if you could, but I do not have the money nor materials to fix the roof."  
"Ah well, there's a few left-over boards and supplies from when the casino was first built. Perhaps we could use those? Or heck, there's always a few dollars I can scratch up after a gamble. I could buy some more proper supplies to fix the hole." He shrugged simply.  
William clapped his hands together. "Perfect! We should be able to finish the roof before the weather starts to chill if we are able to acquire the necessary materials within the next few weeks or so!" William smiled widely at Samuel. 'Samuel will undoubtedly be my favourite assistant yet!' William looks out the window of the kitchen. "Oh goodness, it is getting late! If you would like, you can choose a room to stay in upstairs. I will clean up the remnants of dinner, if you don't mind."  
Samuel nodded a bit, "Yeah, alright then." He patted the man's shoulder briefly before heading towards the stairs, "You sure I don't need a map for this place?" He called back light-heartedly.  
"You'll be fine! All the beds should be made." William shouted back with a chuckle as he cleaned the dishes.  
Sam slipped upstairs with ease, checking in the room he said that had the hole and looked around a little, assessing the damage. 'This may be a little harder than I thought..' He thought with a shrug before heading out of the room, closing the door behind himself before moving down the hallway a bit, picking a random door and stepping inside. Flicking on the light he looked around the room, noticing it was a little bit messier than what he'd expected. Papers and blueprints scattered around...  
William finishes up the dishes, then heads upstairs to his room. William chuckles as he sees Samuel standing just inside his room. "I see you chose the only room in the house that is inhabited, then."  
Samuel jumped a bit, "Ah! Sorry. I didn't realize this was your room." He chuckled a bit awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll pick a different room then."  
William smiles at Samuel. "I don't mind if you want to sleep here. It's admittedly a bit cosier than the other rooms, as they have naught but a made bed and a dresser in each."  
Samuel contemplated it for a moment before asking, "You sure you wouldn't mind?" He rose an eyebrow, a small grin pulling at his lips.  
William chuckles. "No, I wouldn't mind. Would you like me to grab the cot out from under the bed?"  
"Or would you prefer to share the bed with an old man?" William laughed.  
"Don't tempt me." Samuel mused at him. Before lightly nudging him and walking over to the bed, looking under before pulling out the cot that was tucked under it.  
William flushed slightly at his comment. He turned around, taking his shoes off to place them at the door. William looks around. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I have any sleep clothes that would fit you." William keeps his back turned towards the other man as he sets up the cot, unbuttoning his dress-shirt.  
Samuel shrugged, kicking off his shoes by the cot and starting to pull off his suspenders, "It's alright. I think I'll live." He said, undoing is own shirt a few buttons before sliding it over his head and folding it before placing it by his shoes. Totally oblivious to the fact that William would be able to see all the scars he had on his back and chest. "Though, a blanket perhaps a pillow would be fantastic."  
William turns around, his shirt held loosely in his hand. William gasps lightly, clutching his shirt a little tighter. He shuts his mouth tightly, and instead chooses to hang his shirt up in the closet where two other identical shirts, a pair of black slacks, and a pair of loose white bottoms already hang. William takes off his pants, trading them for the pair of white bottoms.  
Samuel turned his head towards William, a little confused at his gasp, "Is everything alright, Will?" He quirked an eyebrow, not really taking notice of him changing pants.  
William paused, unsure of whether or not he should ask about the scars. "..."  
"It is nothing of concern, Samuel. I shall go fetch you some linens."  
He gave him a soft smile, "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it." He gave him a soft smile before turning his back and starting to fish through his pants pockets, emptying them out by his other things.  
William comes back a few minutes later with a quilt and a pillow. "I hope you will be comfy enough with these." William sets the bedding down on the cot, and puts his hands on his hips in a relaxed gesture. "Is there anything else that you require?"  
Samuel smiled gratefully, shaking his head, "No, I'm alright. Thank you, William." He yawned loudly, "Man, it feels like I haven't slept in weeks. Oh wait. I haven't." He mused, rolling his shoulders a bit before taking the blanket and pillow and settling himself on the cot.  
William raises an eyebrow at Samuel. "The human body can only go two weeks at the most without sleep, and you do not have dark circles under your eyes...?" William muttered half to himself. He shut off the light, then climbed into his own bed, crawling under the covers.  
"I was joking." He said simply before flopping on his back, head hitting the pillow as he closed his eyes. "Another day of science tomorrow?" He asked, turning his head to look up at the bed where William was.  
William smiles. "Yes, another day of science tomorrow." William turns to face Samuel after a few moments. "I hope you have good dreams, Samuel. Good night."  
He couldn't help but grin up at the man, "You to. G'night, William." He said softly before folding his arms behind his head and slowly starting to drift off already.  
Late in the night, Samuel started tossing and turning in his sleep. Memories of seeing his mother bloodied on the floor and his father beating him over, and over again, flashed in his mind. The man jolted awake when the man in his dream slashed a belt over his eye. Samuel panted heavily, subconsciously brining a shaky hand to his eye, running his fingers over the healed stitches. He bit back his tears but couldn't help but let out a soft choke of a sob.  
William slowly opened his eyes, unsure of what had woken him. He rolled over to see Samuel hunched over and crying on his cot, illuminated by the light of the moon. William carefully got out of bed, tiptoeing over to Samuel. William hesitantly puts a palm flat on Samuel's back. "Samuel?"  
"Ah!" He shouted, flinching away a bit, the phantom pains from his dream still stinging his back a bit. The taller man turned his head and blinked, relaxing a bit at the sight of William. "O-Oh.. It's you, William.. S-Sorry." He mentally cursed himself for stuttering as he wiped away the tears pooling up in his eyes. "I-I didn't mean to wake you.."  
William flinched back at Samuel's sudden outburst, but slowly sat down on the bed next to him. William leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. "Do you wish to talk about your dream?"  
"I-It's.. it's nothing.." He barely whispered. "It's just some bad memories.." he tenderly rubbed the back of his neck, from there ran a long white, yet fading scar down half of his back.  
William frowned slightly, then reached up and pulled Samuel into his chest. He rubbed the younger man's back softly.  
Samuel blinked rapidly but didn't push him away. He shakily wrapped his arms back around the smaller man and hugged him back tightly, still shaking in his arms. His breathing was soft but uneasy.  
"It's going to be alright." William whispered. "Whatever you dreamt of is gone, it wasn't real. You will be alright." William stopped rubbing his back, letting Samuel calm down.  
Samuel rested his head on William's shoulder, nodding into it slowly, "I know it was so many years ago but.. whenever I have these dreams, it feels like it all just happened yesterday.." He mumbled, his body slowly becoming still besides his evening breaths. A slight chill went up his spin when a slight draft rolled into the room.  
William raised his eyebrows but said nothing, holding him tighter. "I am sorry for whatever happened that caused so much trauma..." William pulls away slightly to look at Samuel. "Will you be okay?"  
Samuel didn't look him in the eye right away, behind them reflected the memories of a broken child. "Y-Yeah.. Yeah. I'll be okay.. P-Pretty sure."  
William pursed his lips. "Samuel, I got a doctorate in Psychology, I know when someone is lying about whether or not they're okay." William stood up, extending a hand out to Samuel. "Would you like to sleep on the bed with me? I know from experience that it helps a tad bit."  
Samuel blinked before shakily taking the shorter man's hand and standing up, "Sure.. T-Thank you, William.." He tried to smile, but it didn't sit quite right. He followed the man over to his bed, not wanting to let go of his warm hand.  
William let Samuel lay down before getting under the covers himself, his back barely touching Samuel's back. "Goodnight Samuel, sweet dreams..." He whispered.  
Samuel smiled a bit, staring off at the wall, not quite ready to go to sleep again, "Night, William.." He murmered back.  
After about an hour or so, he managed to go back to sleep. Subconsciously turning over and wrapping his arm's around William's stomach. Mainly searching for warmth in his sleep.  
-the next morning-  
William woke up blearily, an arm wrapped around his middle and legs tangled with his own. "What the fu-oh." He whispered to himself. 'Samuel had a bad dream...' William shifted slightly, looking over his shoulder at Samuel.  
Samuel's face was nothing less than peaceful. His black hair falling a bit in his face as he snored quietly against William's neck. It looked as though he was able to sleep much better with the smaller man in his arms.  
William smiled slightly at the younger man, shifting slightly when the arm around him tightened. William fell back asleep smiling.  
Later in the morning, Samuel slowly woke up to the shining of the sun in his eyes. "Mmph.." He groaned softly, nuzzling his face into William's neck. Be blinked a few times, mind still fuzzy and slow from sleep.  
William opened his eyes. "Mornin" he yawned.  
Samuel slowly began to realize where he was and who he was subconsciously holding. His muscles stiffened and he pulled away from the man, slowly sitting up and looking down at him. "M..Morning?"  
William looked over his shoulder at Samuel. "Sleep well?" He asked. William noticed Samuel's confusion. "What's wrong?"  
Samuel bit his lip, nodding slowly, "Y-Yeah.. much better since you uh.. yeah. Just.. n-nothing. Nothing's wrong."  
William squinted at Samuel, sitting up. The blanket fell of of him and into his lap. "Obviously there is something bothering you. What is it?"  
Samuel shook his head slowly, "I just.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cling to you last night is all." He smiled nervously, trying not to stare at William's chest, more so fixing his still tired gaze on his eyes. Just now noticing how bright green his eyes really were.  
William smiled awkwardly. "Hehe, it is alright Samuel, I did not mind." William leaned back on his hands. "It reminded me of Chris a tad bit, actually."  
Samuel tilted his head a bit, some of his messy black hair getting in his face, "Who's Chris?"  
William smiled wistfully. "I'll tell you later." William looked at Samuel. "Would you like some breakfast?"  
Samuel was still curious, for a number of reasons, but decided to let it go for now. Nodding with a slight grin at his offer, "I haven't had a proper breakfast in a long time." He pulled the blankets off his lap and stood up with a stretch.  
William stood up as well, putting his glasses on. "Well, would you prefer to have hot or cold cereal?" William started towards the door.  
"Hah, I don't think I've ever had hot cereal before." He laughed a bit, straitening out his shirt and tucking it into his pants.  
William looked at Samuel with a raised eyebrow. "You've never had a bowl of porridge before?" William laughed as he started downstairs. "You are lucky then. You never had to eat it bland!"  
Samuel chuckled and followed behind him a few feet, "I hear that, man."  
Upon reaching the kitchen, William searched the cupboards, coming up with nothing. "Hmmm... I guess we may have to go to a cafe or something for breakfast, then..." William mused.  
"Would you like to go out for breakfast, Samuel? I know a delicious diner just down the street."  
Samuel grinned lazily, "Yeah sure. Lemme just go get my stuff together, alright? I think after breakfast I need to head back to the casino. Hah, they probably thought I got kidnapped again."  
William chuckled. "Alright, I shall get dressed as well."  
Samuel nodded and jogged up the stairs, coming back down fully dressed after a while, hair pulled back into a clean pony-tail.  
William was waiting at the base of the stairs dressed as well, his dark coat in hand. "Are you ready?"  
Samuel nodded, walking up to his side, "Yeah. What's the name of the café anyway?" He asked as they headed for the front door.  
William put a finger on his chin. "Hmm... I can't quite remember the name, but I know where it is. It is only a block away." William says as he opens the door.  
Samuel walked out with a nod, "Well alright then."  
William leads the way down the street, pulling his jacket on. "They make the best French toast I have ever tasted. Have you ever tried French toast before?"  
"Of course! But personally, I'm more of a waffle man myself." He chuckled a bit.  
After the quick walk, they got to the diner, taking a small table by the window.  
William takes his coat off, hanging it on the back of his chair. "So what do you mean by your coworkers thinking you would be kidnapped again?"  
Samuel rested his forearms on the table, leaning forward a bit with a slight laugh, "Ah, well, being the head of a casino isn't all perks. Some people lose a LOT of money playing some of the tables, and they get furious when they lose it all. So, who do they take their anger out on? The guy in charge of course." He grinned lazily.  
William whistled lowly, crossing his arms and leaning back. "Wow, I did not realise that sort of thing happened." The waitress came up to the table, asking what they would like. "I would like a few slices of your French toast please. What would you like, Samuel?"  
Samuel smiled up at the lady, "One short stack of waffles and a coffee please?" The woman smiled and scampered off to fill in the order, leaving the two men to talk once again. "Well, yeah. My father made a pretty good impression on people that it's the owner's damn fault for making them lose their money. So, when he passed, he left that same mark with me."  
William frowned. "Well he was a bit of an ass, then." William said. "Oh, excuse my language. It tends to slip out every once in awhile."  
Samuel laughed, "No no, he's more than an ass, believe me." He ran a thumb over the scar running over his eye with a crooked grin.  
He sighed out and leaned back lazily, "First hand experience about how much he truly was a bastard."  
William raised his eyebrows, still frowning. "Geez... You uh... You really had it tough, then." William smiled at the waitress as she brought their food over. "Thank you miss. Oh, and do you perchance happen to have some tea?" The lady nodded, listing the few types of tea they served. "I'll have a pot of earl grey, please and thank you." She smiled, then whisked away.  
Samuel smiled gratefully at the woman and picked up the syrup, practically drowning the waffles with it. "Yeah, well, when your wife gets murdered in cold blood, you gotta take your anger and depression on the nearest person at hand." He mused, a bit of boiling rage hinting in his voice, but just barely. Most of it was simply passive the way he said it before digging into his breakfast.  
William stopped halfway through a bite, his mouth open as if to eat the piece of French toast slowly slipping off his fork. "..."  
Samuel took a big bite of his own food before he looked up at William, a little confused, "... What?" He blinked a few times before setting his fork down. "Was it something I said..?"  
William continued to stare at Samuel, complete and utter shock on his face. "Your mother... You were... Who... Wha-?" William put his fork down, leaning back in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair. "Well at least that explains your nightmare last night. You were dreaming of your father beating you, yes?"  
Samuel coughed into his hand before nodding. "Yeah. That's right. But that was years ago. And thank whatever god is out there that he's been dead for a couple of them to allow me to regain my sanity." He took a large sip of his coffee before cutting into his waffle again.  
William whistled lowly. "Damn. You've REALLY had a tough life..." He crossed his arms in thought, staring up at the ceiling. He snapped out of his trance after awhile when the waitress placed his tea on the table. "Oh, thank you ma'am." He leans back forwards, putting a few large spoonfuls of sugar in his tea before digging back into his breakfast. "I am truly sorry that you had to go through all that." He said after taking a few bites.  
Samuel shook his head, "It ain't your fault. Sorry for the depressing topic at the breakfast table." He chuckled a bit and took another sip of his coffee.  
William shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Samuel, I am sorry for brining it up." William quickly finished his breakfast. He took a big sip of his tea before speaking again. "I am at least glad that you no longer need to deal with things like that anymore."  
Samuel smiled a bit at that, "Yeah. It feels like things are starting to turn a light." He replied while grinning at William. He finished up as well but slowly drank his coffee, savoring it a bit.  
William took one last drink of his tea, putting the now empty cup down with a sigh. "So you will be going back to your casino, then?"  
The taller man nodded, "Yeah I better. I've got some work to catch up on and I need to make sure they didn't burn the place to the ground or worse." He chuckled, finishing up as well and picking up the check when the waitress put it on the table.  
William nodded, smiling. "Well I had better head home too, then." William held a finger up as if to protest when Samuel took the check, but put it down with a sigh. "I was going to be a gentleman and pay for the meal myself, but I realised I do not have any money. Apologies."  
Samuel chuckled, "Well this is why I'm being the gentleman this time." He put some cash along with a nice tip for the waitress and handed it back to her. She smiled and said she'd be right back. Samuel turned back to William, "Thank you for inviting me for breakfast. Oh, and for allowing me to be your lab assistant. I think this is going to be an interesting.. partnership."  
William smiled, nodding. "Indeed this will be, and indeed you are."  
Samuel smiled- actually SMILED at him- and stood up when the lady handed them the slip of paper. "So then," He held out his hand to William, "Same time next week?"  
William smiled wider, nodding again. "Oh yes, definitely." William grabbed Samuel's hand and shook it.  
Samuel nodded and headed for the door, waving behind himself and ignoring the weird stares people were giving them. He could honestly give less of a damn. And with that, he headed back to William's house to get his car and headed back to the casino.  
As they approached the house, William turned to Samuel. "Thank you so much for agreeing to be my assistant, you do not know how much it means to me."  
Samuel smiled at him through the rolled down window. "Of course! Honestly, this is the most excitement I've had in a while. Hopefully we can do something else next time." He grinned at him, starting up the car.  
William's ears turned red slightly. "Yes, indeed. Until next week, then, Samuel."  
Samuel nodded, "I won't miss it, boss." And pulled out of the driveway, heading down the road and out of sight, smiling to himself the whole way there.  
William walked back inside the house, sighing as he slid down the back of the now closed door. "Fuck, why am I so awkward?"  
-later-  
Samuel finally returned back to the casino, everything seemed to be in order. No blood on the floor, and no signs of forced entry into any of the rooms. Good.  
He entered his office and plopped down in his chair with a few large stacks of paper on top of his desk. Damn.  
-the next week-  
Samuel had a bit of a light beat in his step, his week had been dull and boring as always. But now he was going to see William again and possibly be do something a little more than just cleaning.  
William looked up from the invitation in his hand as someone knocked on the door. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Hello Samuel. How has your week been?" He asked.  
Samuel smiled down at the smaller man, "Dull and boring. I'm glad to be back." He stepped into the house and grinned. "So, what's on our agenda today?"  
William grinned widely. "I'm glad you asked! I'm afraid you may need to buy a fancy suit, if you do not already have one."  
"A-A suit? Why the hell do I need a suit?" He cocked his eyebrow.  
William held up the invitation to an extremely prestigious party. "We are going to this party, and I'll need you to be there with me."  
Samuel looked over the invitation and shrugged, "So you just need an escort? Yeah I can do that. But.. how did you get invited? ... And as a Miss?" He raised an eyebrow at William.  
William turns around heading back upstairs. "I have my reasons. Now you'll be needing to get that suit by 4:30 tonight if possible." He calls over his shoulder. "And try to be back here half an hour before the party starts at 7, preferably dressed. We'll need your car."  
William heads up the stairs and slams the door to the bathroom to take a shower.  
Samuel blinked a few times, confused on a number or levels about William and his plans for tonight, but.. he shrugged it off and headed out, off to get a suit.  
A few hours later, he returned like they agreed on- well, like William told him, and was fully dressed in a silk black suit and bow-tie. Red cufflinks neatly pinned at his wrist and his black shoes shined. He had to dig around and wash it, but he finally found one of his father's old suits in his closet. And with a few touches, Samuel claimed it as his own.  
He knocked on the door and let himself into the house, calling out, "William? I've got the suit. Where are you?"  
"I'm in my room, can you help me with something?" William called out from upstairs.  
"Comin'!" He called back, jogging up the stairs, knocking on his door before walking in, "So what exactly do you need help-.... with..." His eyes widened at the sight before him, and didn't know weather to laugh, scream, or just be down right disturbed.  
William turned around, facing Samuel. "Can you help me tighten my corset? It's a tad bit hard doing it on my- Samuel, are you alright?"  
Samuel's mouth opened and closed a few times before he cleared his throat, "I-I uh.." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "William. Why in the hell are you wearing a corset and stockings?"  
William frowns at Samuel. "It is for the party, is that not clear?" William puts his hands on his hips. "All you need to do tonight is look pretty and intimidating, helping me to make sure that I do not get murdered. So can you please stop gawking and help me tighten my corset? We have not all night."  
Samuel blinked a few times before hesitantly walking over and going behind William, grabbing the stings and pulling, faintly remembering how his father helped his mother get ready for parties. "Is this good..?"  
William nodded. "Yes, but just a smidgen tighter, if you would."  
Samuel nodded, doing as he was told and pulling the strings tighter, "Say when.."  
William nodded. After a little bit, "That is alright. Would you please tie it off now?"  
Samuel did so and stepped back, "Man, how can you breathe in that thing..?" He asked, trying not to let his gaze roam.  
"Many years of practice." William says as he walks over to the closet and opens it. He pushes on the back of the closet, a full-sized door swinging open as William stepped in.  
Samuel blinked a few times and looked over William's shoulder, noticing the second door and his eyes widened when he opened it. "Holy shit.."  
"Samuel, which dress do you think I should wear," William says, picking up and holding out two dresses. "Black and red or blue with white lace?" Behind William lay a second closet filled to the brim with beautiful dresses.  
Samuel's ears burned bright red and he stuttered, mumbling out while turning away, "I like black and red but blue and white are more your colors.." He awkwardly shoved his hands into his pockets. How the hell was he supposed to react to this?  
William nodded thoughtfully, looking at the deep blue dress. "You are right, it would look better too. It shows more so that I mean business than to seduce." William puts the red dress back, walking out of the small room past Samuel. "Would you please close the door?" He asks as he unzips the back of the dress. William holds the dress over his head, sliding it on smoothly. He reaches behind him when the dress is on, attempting to zip it up. "Oh shoot, can you please zip it up for me? I can't reach..."  
Samuel once again did as he was told and closed the second door in the closed, turning around and helping him zip up the dress. "There you a-... Wow. You.. actually look like a woman."  
William chuckles, his voice suddenly much higher and very realistic. "Why thank you! I try my best~" William breaks out laughing. "Oh science, your face!"  
Samuel's face went white and looked like he was going to pass out. This was all way too much.  
Yeah, laughter is the best way to go. He started off chuckling before he doubled over and burst into laughter along with William. "OHH MY GOD Ohh dear god I don't know how you can do that with such a strait face! Ha!!"  
William wiped his eyes, slowing his laughter down to a chuckle. "Ahhhhh. Oh that was good. But truly, I have been going undercover for years. Many assistants have questioned my methods, but that question has never come up, surprisingly enough. Now enough of all that, I need to do my makeup then we shall be on our way." William walked over to the nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out some makeup including a small mirror.  
Samuel rose an eyebrow, slowing his laughter into a light chuckle, "Really? They never questioned.. THIS?" He made a gester at William and his outfit, not wanting to admit to himself that he actually looked pretty damn fine like that..  
William started to put on his makeup with the precision of a master, ignoring Samuel's riotous laughter. He walked over to the bed, picked up a pair of gloves, and pulled them on. "For the rest of the night, you shall call me Miss Erica, as that is the alias I chose for tonight." William looked at Samuel with big... Blue eyes?  
Samuel blinked a few times, tilting his head and walking a bit closer to him, studying his eyes, "Where are your glasses..? How is it your eyes are so blue?" He scanned over William's face, noting how the make-up really tied everything together nicely.  
William raised an eyebrow, one side of his mouth quirking up. "As uncomfortable as they can get, I am wearing a thin material over my eyes that allows me both to see and to change my eye colour. Now we really need to get moving, we will be late if we dawdle any longer." William said as he grabbed a pair of black high heels and slipped them on. He sashayed out the door, going down the staircase with grace.  
Samuel nodded and followed behind, glancing at his hips as they swayed gracefully, but snapped his eyes back up and hurried to the door, opening it for him, "After you, ma'am." He snickered.  
William winked at Samuel. "Perfect," he says in the high voice. "If you act like that all night they may just believe you." William grabs the invitation off of the desk near the door, walking out to the car.  
Samuel was in close step behind after closing and locking the door behind them, opening the door for William before stepping in on his side. "There had better be some good drinks and food there." He said with a sigh while starting up the car.  
"Oh do not worry about that." William sighed, crossing his legs. "This will be a high-class function, hosted by one of the richest men in the city and attended by the most dangerous. If they did not have food and drinks, they would have a riot instead." William waved a hand nonchalantly as he rested his head in the other hand, looking out the window.  
Samuel smirked, "Brilliant." He said as he pulled away from the house, "Alright so, why exactly are you going in disguise. You never explained that much to me yet." He kept his eyes on the road, but having someone in his car felt.. odd. Not in a bad way, it's just the atmosphere seemed to have shifted.  
"I found that people are much more wary of me as a man than they are of me as a woman. They don't take me as seriously when I am a woman, so I can sneak around behind the scenes and get the real and dirty business done and out of the way. Also, it is fun watching the reactions of men whom are attempting to attack me." William smirks. "Oh, the party is at a mansion on West and 3rd, so take a left here."  
Samuel slowly nodded as he spoke, "I can see that making sense." He took the turn, driving on for a ways, the rinky-dink neighborhoods slowly morphing into the higherclass houses. "But what I don't understand is why you need to sneak around in the first place. And what do you mean by 'business'?"  
William looked ahead pointing at the largest house on the block. "That is where the party is being held. We will need to show them the invitation at the gates. Thankfully I added a 'plus one' to my reservations."  
The man grunted softly in acknowledgement but spoke up, "You didn't answer my question *Miss Erica.* "  
William waved him off with a flick of the wrist. "I will tell you later, for now; we are party goers." William waits until the car rolls into a complete stop in front of the mansion gates, stepping elegantly out of the car. William holds the invitation in his hand, grabbing Samuel's elbow as he gets out of the car. They walk up to the gates together.  
Samuel escorting the smaller man, he kept a façade of neutral glee and composure. A glint in his eye saying he was proud to be able to have such a fancy lady on his arm. All thanks to practice.  
William handed the invitation to the bouncer at the gates, smirking lightly. "Good evening Mister Anthony. How is your wife?" He asks. "Oh she's doin great, Miss Erica. Welcome to the party! A valet will be along shortly for your car." William nods with a smile. "Thank you, Mister Anthony."  
Samuel nodded to the bouncer as well as they headed inside. The entrance room itself was grand, and they had yet to see the main party room


	2. Debts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the aforementioned graphic violence... yeaaaaaaaah...

Samuel nodded to the bouncer as well as they headed inside. The entrance room itself was grand, and they had yet to see the main party room.  
William looked around the room, a neutral look on his face, as if trying to spot someone. He smiled at anyone who said hello, returning the greeting. Eventually the pair made their way into the middle of the floor. "Samuel, do you know how to dance?"  
Samuel followed his lead, smiling and nodding at on-lookers and such. He scoffed at the comment, grabbing his hand and putting a hand on William's waist, "You insult me." He grinned downed at him and lead the two along with the music. He leaned down to his ear and whispered, "Who are we looking for?"  
William looked away, craning his neck. "We need to find a man in Violet. Believe me, you will know him when you see him." William looked back at Samuel. He frowned slightly. "Your hand belongs on my waist, not my arse, Samuel."  
Samuel moved his hand, "Apologies, with that corset so tight I could hardly tell the difference." He smirked down at him, continuing to lead them while glancing around the room, looking for the man. He spotted a man up on a balcony, wearing a deep purple, almost black suit with a lighter violet pocket square folded at his breast. Samuel leaned down once again, pretending to kiss William's cheek, muttering, "Balcony. Five 'o' clock."  
William flushed indignantly at Samuel's comment, looking over at the man on the balcony. William looked back at Samuel. "Thank you. I must momentarily make my leave. I will be back soon, however." William curtsies slightly at Samuel, then saunters off towards the violet man.  
Samuel nodded firmly, stepping back when the dance finished, moving over to one of the walls and leaning against it. He kept a weary eye on the whole room, but kept glancing back over to the violet man, curious about what was happening exactly. Eventually, though, he eyed the food table and made it way there, realizing he didn't eat at all before they left.  
William walked up to the Violet man. "Hello, Mister. Would you like a dance?" He asked in his falsetto. The man nodded, taking William's hand and kissing it. He led William out to the floor, taking the lead. "I feel like we have *chemistry*, mister. Would you like to take this dance into another room?" The man grinned, then led the way towards the stairs and into one of the back rooms.  
Samuel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at their departure, and held himself back from following. It's just business he reminded himself.   
After a while, a young lady walked up to Samuel, a bit shy and asked to dance. He was a little surprised, but didn't object, following the other men's lead and taking her hand to kiss it, leading her to the dancefloor. He could hear some of her friends giggle behind them, but he hardly cared. His mind was set and locked on William.  
William emerged from the room alone awhile later, looking slightly flustered. He made his way over to the food table, picking up a glass of champagne on the way from a waiter. William scanned the room, sipping his champagne. 'Where on earth did Samuel go?' He wondered.  
Eventually, Samuel bid the girl farewell, well aware that she left her number in his jacket pocket, but ignored it, making his way over to the food table and spotting William. "You should watch your drinking, Miss Erica. You tend to be a bit of a light weight." He cooed out.  
William spluttered in mid-drink, putting a hand over his mouth. "Samuel, what on earth-" William grabbed a napkin from the table, dabbing at the champagne on his face and partially on his chest.  
Samuel couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, "Sorry, sorry." He grinned, leaning again, "Did you get whatever we came for?" He made sure to keep his voice low so other people wouldn't hear them.  
William nodded his head, frowning at Samuel. "Yes, I did. Where did you run off to?"  
"A nice little lady asked me to dance. Being a gentleman, I had to accept." He grinned down at him, taking the drink from William and sipping it himself. "Mingling. Have you not heard of it?" He rose an eyebrow at him, a smug smirk on his face.  
William frowned deeper, crossing his arms under his breast. "I have indeed heard of it. I hope you enjoyed your little rendezvous, because we will be leaving shortly."  
"What? Isn't the party nice enough for you?" He leaned down a bit, getting a bit close to his ear, "Or are you just jealous?"  
William flushed again. "Well I never! I'll have you know that I never stay for very long at functions like these. I have no use for "gallivanting off and playing pretend" for more than I have to, thank you very much!" William put his hands on his hips, glaring up at Samuel. "And I am not jealous." He turned around, crossing his arms as he stared out over the crowd.  
Samuel couldn't help but chuckle quietly, William was being super cute right now and he couldn't help but tease him. But he let out a small breath and took his arm, "Alright alright, if you really wish to leave, we can." He tried a soft smile, trying to show the man he was only kidding around.  
William put his head down, sighing. He turned back around, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one hand. "I'm sorry. If you want to stay, that is alright. I just usually do not like being around so many other people for so long. It makes me uncomfortable."  
Samuel nodded in understanding, "I wouldn't want to keep you here if this all stresses you out. I can see how it's a little over-whelming." He looked around the room at all the people, twice as many now than when they first came in. The taller man gentle squeezed William's hand reassuringly.  
William flinched slightly, then sighed again. "Thank you. Let us make our leave now." William firmly took hold of Samuel's arm, walking quickly towards the door. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a few shady looking men staring right at the two of them, but shakes it out of his head as he steps out of the doorway. William takes a deep breath, his grip on Samuel's arm tightens to an almost painful grip, then loosens just as suddenly.  
Samuel led them out front and waved at the valet so he could bring around their car. Samuel looked down at William, "Are you alright, Miss?" He asked, voice lightly laced with worry.  
William waved a hand at Samuel. "Science almighty, I'll be alright. I just need a breath for the moment." William looked up at Samuel. "I feel like such an idiot sometimes for getting so worked up over too many people in the same room as I, which is ironic because I have one of the highest IQs in the country." William laughed, a tinge of sadness permeating it.  
Samuel bit his lip, nodding a little as he wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders, "Don't worry. We'll be home soon." He smiled gratefully when the lad pulled up with their car. Samuel tipped him and opened the door for William.  
William sighed, getting into the car. He leaned his head back on the seat, closing his eyes. "Thank you for attending with me."  
Samuel climbed into the drivers seat and started the car, "It was my pleasure." He said as they pulled away from the roaring party, the atmosphere becoming more and more calm as they drove back to William's house. "You uh.. you looked very lovely tonight. And.. you're not bad at dancing either." His ears burned as he kept his eyes locked on the road.  
William raised an eyebrow and looked over at Samuel. He noticed that the man's ears were red, and that he was refusing to make eye contact. William smirked, leaning his head back onto the seat. "Thank you, you are not too bad of a dancing partner yourself."  
Samuel hid his small smile, grunting quietly with a nod as they pulled up to William's driveway. Samuel parked the car and leaned back in his seat, letting a breath out through his nose and turning his head to look at William.  
William opened his eyes to look up at the ceiling as the car rolled to a stop. He turned to undo the buck when he noticed Samuel staring at him. He gave Samuel a questioning look. "Yes?"  
Samuel bit his lip before clearing his throat, "How do you see me, William?" He asked suddenly.  
William raised his eyebrows, surprised. "In what sense, may I ask?"  
"Just.. Am I just an assistant to you? Do you.. see me anything other than that?" He bit his lip again, he didn't know why he was saying these things, but he let them slip from his lips. For once in years, he opened up.  
William's jaw dropped open, freezing completely. He flushed a deep red as he stared at Samuel. "I-I-uh-um-well-uh-I-" William stuttered. He sat back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. "Well that happened much quicker than I had predicted..." He thought aloud. William looked over at Samuel, a hand still in his hair. "I admit I do indeed find you very attractive, but I do not know if it would be very smart to start a-a-a rel-" William shut his mouth abruptly, his hand falling into his lap. "Fuck..." He whispered savagely.   
Samuel couldn't quite look him in the eye, though he did try. "I understand." He nodded, kneeding his lip between his teeth for a moment, "Thanks for telling me, though." His gaze drifted down to his hands folded in his lap, not sure what else to say. "William, I.." He looked up at the man, trying to form words again but his mind turning up blank, "I.." He sighed softly, holding out his hand, "I'll see you next time then?"  
William stared at Samuel, an unreadable expression on his face as he leaned over and pecked Samuel on the cheek. "I shall see you next time, Samuel." William smiled crookedly as he put a hand on the door to open it.  
Samuel blinked a few times, not quite sure what happened exactly and watched as William got out of the car and headed for the door. "... William!" He climbed out of the car as well and grabbed him by the arm, hesitating before turning the smaller man and placing a kiss on his forehead in return.  
William smiled at Samuel, chuckling slightly. He looked up at Samuel with a smirk. "So will you not kiss me upon the lips because I am a woman, or because I am a man?" He asked slyly.  
Samuel blinked a few times, smirking back, "I didn't think you wanted to go so fast." He chuckled a bit lowly, tilting William's chin up a bit before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.  
William smiled into the kiss, pulling away after a little bit. He immediately burst out laughing, doubling over.  
Samuel couldn't help but laugh along with him, "Ohhh my god that was weird." He burst out, holding his stomach.  
William laughed even harder. "No, no it is not weird..." William slowed down with a sigh, wiping his eyes carefully after pulling off a glove. "You share my lipstick now."  
Samuel blinked a few times before groaning out, "Oh you bugger!" He yelled, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand.  
William's laughter returned with fervour. "Oh science, you are just too precious." William laughed. He started walking towards his front door, waving behind him. "Ahhhhh, I'll see you tomorrow, Samuel. Good evening." William chuckled again as he walked through the front door and upstairs, quickly starting to change out of his lady clothes.  
Samuel rolled his eyes and smirked, waving him off and heading back to the car, smiling stupidly to himself the whole way back to the casino.   
As he entered, he had a feeling something was off. The air didn't sit the way it normally did. Cautiously, he walked to his office and got himself changed into his normal shirt and slacks. And just before he could do up the last button, a hard metal object hit the back of his head, forcing him to the floor with a groan. When he looked up again, a lead-toed boot met his face, knocking him out cold.  
William had just finished undressing when he heard the mail slot being pushed open, a heavy letter hitting the floor with a dull, quiet thud that resounded throughout the mostly empty house. William walked downstairs in his unders, seeing the letter on the floor. "That's odd... Why would the mailman be delivering so late in the evening?" William says as he scoops up the letter. He takes the letter back up into his room, quickly finding a letter opener and ripping the seams of the unmarked envelope. "Dear Miss Erica." The letter reads. "If you wish to see your assistant alive once more, bring $300 to the graveyard at Captain and Main. We know you are a smart dame. You WILL comply." William frowns angrily at the letter. "Bullshit fuckin ransom letter, thinks it can fool me? They think they can blackmail me?!" William angrily gets dressed in his normal clothes, yanking the front door open and shoving his arms through his coat sleeves. "I'll fuckin show them not to mess with me." William mutters darkly as he starts his trek to the graveyard 6 blocks away, empty handed.  
Meanwhile, hours before the letter was sent, Samuel slowly woke up from his blackhole of a sleep. He groaned out in pain as his head throbbed, but when he tried to move his hand up to hold it, he found that his wrists and ankles were bound to a metal chair welded to the floor. Panic slowly arising in him, he tugged and jerked his arms but couldn't get himself free. He made himself relax and breathe, focusing on his surroundings.. and since he couldn't see shit in the dark, he went back to struggling.  
A low, dry chuckle caught his attention though and Samuel turned his head, "Who's there?"  
"Oh-ho ho ho, I think you know, Sammy, my boy."   
Samuel cursed under his breath and leaned back in his chair, "Mr. Simmons. Been a while since we've seen each other face-to-face."   
"Cut the chatter, where have you been these past few weeks? What have you been spending all of MY money on? Eh??"   
Samuel scrunched his nose, "I paid you off for the month, so what does it matter what I do in my spare time?"   
The leader of the mafia that has been tormenting Samuel's family for years stepped out of the shadows and got right in his face, "It's my business when I come to believe one of my personal funders is about to bump me off!" He snapped his fingers and some goons popped out, gagging Samuel's mouth with a rag, one pulling out brass knuckles while the other pulled out a knife. The leader of the gang turned with a wave, "Have fun with him, boys." Samuel struggled against his bonds further when the knife was pulled out. The henchmen grinned wickedly at Samuel, the blade-wielder pressing the blade against Samuel's throat. "We are going to have so much fun, aren't we Jacob?" Brass-knuckles chuckled. His fist slammed into Samuel's already bruised cheek. Samuel cries out, muffled by the gag. His eye quickly swells to a slit, the barest amount of light from above shining through. Tears run freely down his face as the men beat and cut him, deliberately and ruthlessly. After what seems like days, Simmons finally walks back in the room. "It's showtime, boys." The two henchman pouted like children but untied Samuel, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fight back at this point anymore, and shoved him to the ground. Samuel laid there, barely moving and struggling to stay awake just a little longer. The only thing on his mind was William, William, William.. and he was going to die here on the cold, already blood-stained floor before he got to fully tell him how he felt.. damn it all.  
William was pissed by the time he finally got to the graveyard, tapping his foot impatiently in front of the mausoleum. "Really?? You went through all that trouble to send me a fuckin letter and you don't even show up?!" William shouts.  
A goon standing outside of a walk-in tomb lit a cigar, "The boss is ready to see you now." He said as he stuck it in between his lips, holding a machine gun in his hands, "No funny business now."  
William scoffed at the man. "Wow, you mafia members are really arrogant, aren't you?" He walks past the man, shoulder-checking him hard enough for the other man to stumble. "And way too clichéd for your own good." William makes his way towards the small group of men, Samuel being held up by a thick arm around his neck. Samuel looked as if he had just been hit by a train, and his legs looked barely strong enough to hold him. A vein throbbed in William's temple as he looked at the leader of the Mafia, the one holding the gun to Samuel's head. If he was pissed before, William was now downright furious. He was seething at the men before him. "So why the FUCK did you make me walk six blocks to this run-down graveyard? We could have done this exact same bullshit in my own goddamn front yard. Just had to fuckin show off, didn't you? Stupid assholes." William spat.  
The mafia leader bellowed out a laugh, "Well, yeah, actually. What's the good of being bad when you have no presentation?" He grinned like a stray cat and snapped his fingers, causing one of the men to walk over to William, "We're gonna do this nice and easy. Hand over the money and we'll hand him over," He pointed a rather large gun at William, "If you act up, the others WILL shoot your boy."  
William frowned at the gun pointed at his heart. "Really? Fucking really?" William stepped forward in a flash, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it until a sickening snap was heard. William wrenched the gun out of the man's hand, kicking him to the ground. Staring the boss straight in the eyes, a neutral expression on his face, he shot the man now screaming on the ground in the head. A small silence followed before another gunshot was heard. This time the bullet was from the boss, going straight into Samuel's right arm. Samuel cried out in pain whilst William's face contorted into one of pure, unadulterated rage.  
Samuel hissed at the pain but couldn't do anything about it. He could tell the bullet didn't go all the way through his arm because he felt the still warm metal embedded into his mussel. He bit his lip to keep from screaming out again and couldn't bring himself to look up at William.  
The leader of the mafia had a slight twinge of annoyance on his otherwise neutral face, "Lad, you see here, each time you put a bullet in my men, I'm going to have to repay them and put one into dear little Samuel here." He forced Samuel too look up at him as he said this, Samuel didn't struggle- he couldn't. His father would be rolling in his grave laughing at Samuel for showing any sigh of weakness, being beaten or not.  
William shrugged. "Okay." He said nonchalantly as he threw the gun in his hand as hard as he could at the boss. The lug of a man went down cold, the gun having smacked him squarely between the eyes. The henchman stood there shocked for a moment before charging William. William punched the first guy in the throat, elbow the next in the face. They both crumpled like wet paper as their comrades leaped over them, one with a knife and the other with a gun. Knifey slashed wildly at William, who swirled around him, pulling him in the way of his buddy's bullet. William shoved the almost dead man at the gunwielder, effectively pinning him. William snatched the gun out of his hand, twisting it around and shooting the remaining three members. William tossed the gun to the side angrily. "Well that was tedious."  
Samuel himself had crumpled to the ground, his legs not able to hold himself, but he was able to push up on his hands to watch William. His bright yellow eyes were wide with a mixture of emotions and his mouth hung open, bloodied lip stinging slightly.   
He couldn't believe what he just saw. He looked from each of the men, half dead, half knocked out. Then his gaze drifted back to William, not sure what to think of all of this, "Wh.. I.. H-How did you..?"  
William clenched his fists tightly as the adrenaline ran thin. "Samuel... Are you alright...?" He asked quietly. He was staring down at his feet as he says this, trembling ever so slightly.  
Samuel scrunched his eyebrows, a little confused. He was bloodied and bruised, but he wasn't dead. He slowly nodded, "Y-Yeah. Yes... I'm okay.. Well, mostly.." He tried standing up but fell back to his knees with a soft grunt.  
William walked over to Samuel, kneeling down and gently taking his face in his hands. William delicately swiped a thumb over Samuel's swollen right cheek. "Are. You. Alright." He said more forcefully.  
Samuel blinked rapidly, wincing away ever so slightly when William touched his face. "I.." He cleared his dry throat and tried again, "Yeah.. Yes, I'm alright, William.."  
William looked up at Samuel, his eyes watering slightly. He blinked away the forming tears, a frustrated look on your face. "Then what the fUCK WERE YOU THINKING GETTING KIDNAPPED LIKE THAT HOLY SHIT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU I WAS SO FUCKING WORRIED ABOUT YOU DO YOU REALISE HOW STUPID YOU ARE SOMETIMES GODDAMN I LOVE YOU BUT SOMETIMES YOU ARE JUST A MAJOR FUCKING IDIOT!!" William was almost shouting as he hugged Samuel tightly.  
Samuel was taken a little aback by the sudden outburst and hug, but he couldn't help but smile at the shorter man. He wrapped an arm around him and hugged him back, "I love you to, William. I'm sorry for being stupid." He let him have this one. Samuel didn't feel like arguing right now that in reality the guys jumped up. But, he was too exhausted to say so.  
William whipped his head around as he realised the remaining men were awake, releasing Samuel gingerly. He got up, stalking over to the now conscious men. "So why the fuck did you decide to kidnap my assistant?" He asked the men coldly.  
One of the younger men broke and said, "W-We were just hired to get him 'cause he owed the boss money!!" Samuel stood up and gripped William's shoulder, "It's true.. My father left me with a big debt to pay off to the assfuckers." He sneered down at the head of the all and held himself back from kicking the fat man.  
William took a deep breath. "How much money did you owe them?" He asked sternly, not to anyone in particular.  
Samuel didn't say anything. He really didn't know how much he owed them. So he thought better save than sorry all of these years.   
The mafia boss slowly woke up and groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head where the gun hit him.  
William picked up the gun he had discarded earlier and placed it against the boss' head. An audible click could be heard as William cocked the gun. "How much money does Samuel owe you?" He asks calmly.  
The older and much larger man laughed, "Why should I tell you, little man?" He stood up and towered over William and Samuel. "It ain't none of your business." He looked around and counted how many were dead, shrugged and pulled out a pistol and aimed, shooting at Samuel's leg.   
"ARGH! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He grit his teeth and put his hand over the new wound.  
William shot the man in the shoulder, then again in both legs, just above the knees. The boss crumpled like a sack of potatoes as he cried out in pain. William shot him again in the hand holding the pistol, blowing off two fingers. "You may put a bullet in my man for everyone I put in one of yours, but I will do four times unto you that you did to him." William seethed. William shot the man again and again, all causing non-fatal but extremely painful wounds and effectively incapacitating him. William put the gun against the man's head. 'Click' it went; no bullets left.  
Samuel's eyes widened and he shot up to his feet, ignoring the pain, "William! STOP!" He grabbed his arm and gave him a hard look. Glancing over at the other man then back at him, looking him in the eye with a cold stare, "He isn't worth it."  
"So how much money does he owe." William says, leaning down and picking up the boss' gun.  
Samuel blinked when William almost shot the larger man, backing up a bit as he kneeled down  
William looked over at Samuel, then back at the larger man. "I don't give a fuck if he's worth it." William placed the gun against the man's head. "How much does Samuel owe your disgusting ass."  
The mafia leader choked out "N-No more." When he looked up and saw that William wasn't convinced he tried again, "R-Really! He paid off the debt five fold! He doesn't owe us anything." His eyes turned to fire and he spat through his teeth, "But I swear to god, we know where you live and we will burn the ashes of everything you care about."  
William hit the Mafia boss in the head with the pistol again, knocking onto the ground but not knocking him out. William stepped over to the man, who was groaning and holding his head. "Frankly I don't give a fuck." William says, stomping down hard onto the man's head. A sickening crack paired with a large burst of blood resounded from the man's caved-in cranium. William looked up at Samuel, his eyes cold.  
The room went quiet. The echo of the crack resonating from the walls back to their ears. Samuel felt as if he were going to vomit as his leg finally gave out from under him, causing him to collapse to his knees and clutch his stomach. "You.. William.. Why did you.."  
William looked down at his blood-covered shoe and pant leg. "Amazing, stupendous, look what you did you big fucking lug! Now I'll have to buy new pants and shine my shoes!" William shouted at the corpse. He looked back up at Samuel, noticing his mild disgust. "Samuel? What's wrong?" He asked, taking a step towards Samuel.  
Samuel scooted back away from William, bumping into one of the bodies and stopping. His eyes were wide, despite one being swollen. He tried to calm himself down. "B-Back up, just.. g-give me space for a minute." He held up a shaky hand, directing William to stop in his tracks.   
Samuel had to get ahold of himself. The men on the floor have been cheating him for years, scamming him, threatening him. All without batting an eyelash. They have brought nothing but misery to his life and yet.. What William just did.. it didn't sit right in his stomach.  
William flinched back at Samuel's words. "You- you are scared of me..." William watched as Samuel's face went through many emotions, including horror, disgust, and fear. "I-I'm sorry... I got a tad bit carried away..." William wiped at the tears threatening to fall out of his eyes. "I am such a fucking idiot, I am so sorry..." William looked up at the sky and blinked rapidly, willing his tears to go away. "Isn't this just bloody amazing?! Third fucking assistant in a month and they all hate me!" William shouts at the stars. "First Alexander, then Nicolas, and now Samuel! This is why I am an atheist, God! Because everyone says that you are an almighty benevolent being who loves all his creations! I call motherfucking BULLSHIT!" He screams angrily.  
Samuel flinched at him screaming and spoke up, "N-No no no! William, I'm not afraid! I-I don't hate you I... Please just..." He shakily reached out and took the man's hand, "Can we just go home..? We.. We can talk when we get there.." He bit his lip, and told himself in his mind that what happened was the right thing. He was free. "I'm bleeding out here and bullets aren't the most comforting thing in the world to have shoved into you." He tried to laugh but it came out more like a weird choking sound. He tried to shakily stand up, but the adrenalin wore down and he wouldn't keep himself standing for long before he had to take a knee and catch his breath.  
William stared back down at Samuel, momentarily forgetting that his injured assistant was still there. "O-oh of course." William walks over, picking up Samuel bridal style.  
Samuel groaned in pain as he was lifted, letting his head roll to the side and rest on William's shoulder.   
Half way back to William's house, Samuel finally spoke up, "Hey.. Thank you for coming to save me.. I-I'm sure they would have finished me off if you didn't.." His vision kept focusing and unfocusing but he was able to speak relatively calmly. "You.. You saved my damn life." He chuckled low in his throat as he gripped his arm lightly, trying to stop the bleeding a bit, he knew it had slowed, but he really didn't care right now.  
William chuckled quietly, walking slightly faster. "You'll need to keep firm pressure on your wounds if possible. I wouldn't want you to bleed out." William said quietly. "You are very welcome, however unnecessary and overzealous my actions were." William kicked the door open, already unlocked from his haste out of the house. William carried Samuel down into the basement, laying him down on the surgery table.  
"Yeah well.. at least they won't bother me anymore.. unless they come back as poltergeists. Then that'd be one hell of a fight." He grinned, but winced in pain when William laid him down on the table, a little uneasy about it, but pushed the feeling aside. William wouldn't hurt him William wouldn't hurt him William wouldn't hurt him.  
"I can do this myself. Just.. get me the supplies. Ah, tweezers, needle and threat, anti-bionics. The works." He slowly sat himself up with a groan, aching all over as he pulled his shirt off to look himself over.  
William put a hand gently on Samuel's chest, pushing him back down. "Samuel, I can sew you back up myself. Your hands are shaking like a lamb in a snowstorm, you are in no shape to stitch yourself up." William knelt down under the table, grabbing a black box out from one of the cubby-holes. He opened it up next to Samuel and pulled out a medical-grade needle and a strange sort of pale blue thread. William thread the needle as Samuel sat back up.  
"Who do you think stitched these up?" He gestered at his face and other scars scattered around his skin. Some were done more neatly than others, but they all worked. Samuel picked up the tweezers and tried steading his hand as he reached in with them and attempted to get the bullet out of his shoulder by himself.  
William made an exasperated sound as he touch the tweezers gently from Samuel. "*I* will do it. I have a much steadier hand, judging by your stitches, and I am not the one that has lost enough blood to feed a vampire bat for a month." William carefully reaches the tweezers into Samuel's arm, extracting the bullet quickly.  
The taller man winced but relaxed when he got the bullet out. He let a breath through his nose, closing his eyes and setting it back against the table, "Fine. Fine.. Have at 'em, Doc." He said with a grunt as he tried rolling up his tattered pants leg to expose the other bullet hole in his lower calf.  
William nodded thankfully, kneeling down to take the bullet out of his leg too.  
Samuel bit his lip and sucked in a breath, bracing himself for the pain once again.  
William took the bullet out just as quickly, getting up and placing it on the table beside Samuel. William walked over to a table on the far side of the room, grabbing a brown bottle and small piece of cloth the size of Samuel's hand.  
William opened up the bottle, placing the cloth on top of the bottle and turning the bottle upside down, wetting the towel with the liquid. William brought it towards Samuel's arm.  
Samuel cracked an eye open and watched the man go, not daring to look down at his wounds again.  
"This is gonna hurt like a mother fucker isn't I-IIIIITTTTT OH JESUS FUCK THAT HURTS LIKE A BITCH GAAHHH." He took a breath, eyebrows knit together in pain from the stinging of the alcohol in the bullet wound.  
William gingerly cleaned Samuel's wounds, ignoring his outbursts. William continued onto his leg, before coming back up and grabbing the needle.  
Samuel tried to steady his breathing as his brain pounded against his skull. "Ow.." He groaned out and looked up at William.  
William stopped in his tracks, placing the needle down and turning and walking away abruptly. William walked out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of vodka.  
Samuel scrunched his eyebrows when he came back, "What is that for..?" He asked a bit wearily.  
William hands the bottle to Samuel. "The alcohol will numb the pain at least a smidgen, no matter your alcohol tolerance. The higher the proof, the better, so drink up." William says as he picks the needle back up.  
Samuel chuckled and broke the wax seal ontop of the bottle, "Don't have to tell me twice, mate." He pulled off the cork and took a few large drinks, loving the way it burned as it rolled his throat. The taller man took a breath before setting the bottle aside on the table and relaxing back into surgical table, "Alright.. Yeah. Go ahead." He said, his words only slightly slurred together as he spoke. The man's head felt lighter so he was able to calm down quicker.  
William nodded, pressing the needle against the skin of the largest cut. William hesitated for a split second before quickly stitching his assistant back up.  
Samuel almost didn't even notice it. He began to hum a random tune as his mind slowly clouded itself over, a soft grin on his face. Yeah, he was drunk.  
William bit the string off close to the cut on Samuel's chest, finishing up with that one. He moved on to the bullet wound on his arm, making quick work of that one too.  
Samuel watched the smaller man work on his wounds, everything around him blurry minus William. He reached a hand out and gently started playing with a part of his hair, the alcohol numbing the feeling in his fingers.  
William flinched as Samuel began playing with his hair, hesitantly cutting the thread again with his teeth. He moved down to stitch up Samuel's leg, forcing himself to focus on helping his assistant.  
Samuel reached out a bit when he had to move, but when he couldn't reach he just draped his hand over his stomach, letting his gaze drift up to the ceiling, still humming to mostly himself.  
Samuel reached out a bit when he had to move, but when he couldn't reach he just draped his hand over his stomach, letting his gaze drift up to the ceiling, still humming to mostly himself.  
William flushed mildly when he saw Samuel trying to reach back for his hair, but finished the stitching just as quickly as he had the others. "Uh, there you go..." William said, standing up straight as he put the needle down. William looked over Samuel's lanky frame quickly, looking at the various cuts and bruises. He grabbed a roll of bandages and started to wrap up Samuel's arm, leg, and chest.  
Samuel's soft eyes lit up gratefully, "Thanks for the patch-up job, Will." He said softly, winking at the scientist absent-mindedly. Samuel slowly sat up with a light groan and ran a hand over the new bandages, "Heh, I feel like a mummy." He chuckled lightly.  
William chuckles at the younger man's statement. "Well I hope you do not feel as dead as one..." He says with a small smile. William starts to put clean and put away his tools, putting the box back under the table. William faces Samuel with a smile. "There, you should be right as rain within the next few weeks or so.  
Samuel smiles stupidly at him and slowly stood up from the table, swaying a bit and using the table as a support. "Ohh shit I'm drunk." He said while laughing at his own stupidity. "IIIII should probably sleep this off." He tried taking a step on his bad leg and he faltered, tripping up and grabbing William's shoulder for support.  
William rolled his eyes as he picked Samuel back up, taking him upstairs to his bedroom.  
Samuel giggled when he got picked up, wrapping his arms around William's neck and lightly nuzzling his face into the smaller man's neck, smiling like the drunken idiot that he was acting like. He almost got killed tonight, he had the right to act a little cuddly for once, damnit!  
William flushed a dark red at Samuel's actions, pushing the door to his room open. He attempted to lay Samuel down on the bed, but he clung to the older man's neck like a sloth. "Samuel, you need to let go..." William said quietly.  
Samuel let out a soft whine, "Noooooo.. Don't leeeaaavvee.." Samuel clung a bit tighter, trying to hook his good leg around William's.  
William stumbled a bit, his arms on either side of Samuel to catch himself. Samuel successfully hooked his leg around one of William's. William could feel his face grow hotter as he stared at Samuel's drunkenly-flushed face. "S-Samuel... You uh... You need to go to bed..." William stuttered out.  
Samuel chuckled lowly, smiling up at William, "I am in bed. I just what you in here WITH me." He tilted his head a bit, face turning red from the alcohol and he giggled out, moving a hand down to his waist. "I just want you to stay so I can have someone to cuddle and stuff." His words were a bit more slurred as he got more and more tired.  
William squeaked. "O-oh, ah, I uh, holy shit... Um let me change first, then..." William attempted to untangle himself from Samuel, succeeding after a few minutes. William's face was still a bright red as he started to undress, tossing his coat, vest, and shirt into the corner.  
Samuel turned his head, biting his lip lightly as he watched William undress. Making grabby motions at the shorter man when he finished and turned back around, a soft, hopeful smile on his drunken face. He looked calmer like this, a lot less on edge compared to earlier that night.  
William smiled shyly at the younger man, removing his shoes and trousers before pulling on his pyjama bottoms and padding barefoot back over to the bed.  
Samuel really didn't care about his pants and he left his torn up shirt back in the lab. He reached out and carefully took William's hand, pulling the man onto the bed with him. "Again.. thanks for helping me, Doc. I could be fuckin' crabby and sober right now, but nah. This is a who-whole lot better." He mused, almost babbling as he pulled the blankets up and over them both.  
William smiled wider, shifting a bit closer to Samuel. "It was no trouble, but again I do apologise for my, ah, actions..."  
Samuel shook his head, "You saved my ass and got me out of debt. I owe you." He wrapped his arms carefully around William's middle and pulled him close, tucking the smaller man under his chin.  
William smiled against his chest. "You owe me nothing. Good night, Samuel." William said as he closed his eyes.


	3. Childlike Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys actually like this story... cause I am DEFINITELY going to be posting more.

-the next morning-  
Samuel slowly woke up when the morning sun's light hit him in the face. He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. After a minute he sighed and subconsciously felt around for William's form, hoping to regain some heat from him, but found he wasn't there. Samuel pulled the pillow off his face and looked around the room. Empty. Hm. The man slowly sat up and instantly regretted it. His brain throbbed against his skull due to a hang over, and the rest of his body ached from last night's beating. He hissed through his teeth and slowly laid back down again.  
William walked back in the room with a glass of water in one hand and a cuppa in the other. William set them down on the bedside table, walking over to close the dusty black curtains on either side of the window. William walked over to the bed and sat down. "How are you this morning?"  
Samuel smiled a bit when William walked in, and was very grateful when he closed the blinds. The taller man rubbed the bruise on his face with a soft groan, "I feel like shit, but I ain't dead yet."  
William smiled awkwardly, reaching over into the bedside table and took out a small jar with a few dozen little white pills. He grabbed the water, and handed Samuel one of the pills out of the jar. "Take this, it will make the pain go away a tad bit."  
Samuel slowly sat up in the bed, letting the blankets slip down from his chest as he gingerly took the glass and pill. Swallowing the pill and chasing it down with a few large gulps of water before handing it back, "Thanks, William." He smiled.  
William smiled, leaning back a bit on the bed. "It is no problem. I am glad to help." William lay down on the bed, his head beside Samuel's leg. William crossed his arms behind his head and sighed. "I did not know you have been dealing with those men for so long."  
Samuel shrugged, leaning back against the headboard, twinging a bit in pain but then relaxing into the pillows. "Yeah well.. I didn't know how much they owed me, so I thought, better safe than sorry." He said with a sigh, rubbing his face and running his hands through his hair.  
William frowned. "How on earth did you even get into dealings with them in the first place? I cannot fathom a way they could have swindled you for so long without your knowing."  
"Remember how I said my father was into gambling? Well, he cheated them out of a LOT of money, and they threatened him to the point where he was convinced that if he didn't pay them, they would burn everything. And, to make their point clear about that, they.. killed my mother." His voice trailed off at the last part. "And I didn't want them to come and burn the casino down after they killed my father, so, every month, they'd send me a quota and I had to fill it or else."  
William turned his head towards Samuel, his mouth open in shock. "Holy shit... I- oh science..." William trailed off.  
Samuel snapped his gaze back from staring off into the room to William. "I-I'm sorry. But.. it's what happened." He sighed softly, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, "It's in the past now." He said with a shrug, "And, hey, you really helped lift a weight off my shoulders.. now I don't have to worry about that fucker coming back."  
Samuel snapped his gaze back from staring off into the room to William. "I-I'm sorry. But.. it's what happened." He sighed softly, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, "It's in the past now." He said with a shrug, "And, hey, you really helped lift a weight off my shoulders.. now I don't have to worry about that fucker coming back."  
Samuel blinked at him but slowly nodded, "Yeah.. Yeah. Besides, if they do try to arrest us we can have my lawyer help bail us out." He chuckled softly before rubbing his temples, "Mm.. my head is killing me.."  
William pursued his lips. "Good, jail is a nuisance. Well, juvie is at least..." William muttered to himself, turning on his side to face Samuel. "The headache should be gone in the next ten minutes or so."  
Samuel had to laugh at that, "Oh man, I hear that." He smiled, resting his hands on his stomach, "Yeah alright.. Thanks again for the pill."  
William nodded. "It is a newer type of medication I discovered recently on one of my trips to England. It is meant to be a sort of pain-killer."  
"Huh. Well alright then." Samuel said simply, slipping out from the sheets and letting his legs dangle over the bed. He wiggled his toes on the leg that got shot and was relieved to find he could feel them/ move them. And then, very carefully, he tried to stand up, putting his weight on his good leg.  
William sat up quickly, ready to catch Samuel if he fell.  
Samuel glanced over at him but held up a hand in protest, shaking his head. "I got this." He said with a soft grunt as he started towards the bathroom, hobbling, but not falling. One bullet hole had nothing on a belt lash all the way up your calf.  
William grimaced as Samuel limped towards the bathroom. William followed him to just outside the door, waiting for him there.  
Samuel closed the door behind himself, leaning his back against it as he slid down it, biting his lip so he didn't make a sound of pain. 'c'mon Sammy boy, nice an easy.' He thought to himself as he carefully pulled himself back up and leaned against the sink's counter. Samuel looked himself over in the mirror- black eye, split lip, massive bruise on his left cheek, and he had quite a stubble growing in. He rubbed his chin and sighed, noting to himself that he'd shave when he got home.  
A few minutes later, Samuel walked out of the bathroom, using the doorframe as support and looked over at William, grinning lightly, "Got any coffee?"  
William nodded. "It may be a smidgen old, but it should still be good." William paused as Samuel used the wall to support his weight, making his way to the staircase. "Samuel? Are you sure you do not need any help? I would not appreciate it if you fell down the stairs..."  
Samuel grumbled, "I'm fine, William. I just need to go slow." And so he did, making his way out of the room and down stairs one step at a time, wincing every time he had to put pressure on his leg.  
William cautiously remained one step behind Samuel the entire way down, releasing the breath he had been holding when the younger man made it safely to the bottom.  
Samuel turned his head and gave the shorter man a look, "What?"  
William flushed slightly, his face dusting a pale pink. "I am worried you will fall..."  
Samuel paused a moment then sighed softly, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder, "I'll be fine. I think I've been through worse than falling down a flight of stairs." He gave him a soft wink before hobbling into the kitchen.  
William flushed indignantly as he followed Samuel. He sat down at the table for a few moments before jumping up suddenly and running out of the room shouting "My tea!"  
Samuel raised an eyebrow and watched him go, shrugging and pouring himself a cup of coffee. Sure it was a little cold, but he could honestly care less right now. He carefully walked over and sat at the table, sighing out in relief as he took a sip.  
William walked back into the room a few moments later, carrying a cup of tea contentedly.  
"The day is saved once again by the Will-mister." Samuel laughed.  
William stuck out his tongue, then took a sip of his tea.  
Samuel stuck his tongue back at him and took another sip of coffee, closing his eyes and savoring it, even though it was turning cold.  
William chuckled lightly to himself. "Just like Cherry..." He mumbled into his cup.  
Samuel raised an eyebrow, "Who now?"  
William shook his head, smiling in reminisce. "I will tell you more at a later time, but she was Chris' big sister. My, she sure was feisty..." William trailed off, chuckling lightly. "She was so protective of him, too, always by his side... I wish I was able to see them again."  
"Where they past assistants of yours or..?" Samuel put his coffee down on the table, now a bit intrigued.  
William shrugged. "Somewhat. They were my first assistants, but only stayed with me for a year. I have not seen them in a little over seven years, now, thinking back on it.... I wonder if the agency still keeps contact with them..." William rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  
Samuel blinked a few times, "Agency? Hold up, there's a whole agency for getting lab assistants?" He chuckled a bit, but was still confused, "You're being seriously vague, Will."  
William shook his head. "There is not an agency for lab assistants, that is just an accident waiting to happen. No, I meant an adoption agency." William sighed, propping up his head with his hand. "I may as well tell you now, then: Cherry and Chris are my kids."  
"Really? Hah, to be honest, I didn't take you as a kid-loving type." He grinned, taking a sip of his coffee. "Tell me about them."  
William rubbed the back of his neck, sitting up in his chair. "Well, when I was about twenty, I was still morning my mother's passing. I had gone flat broke only a few months after she had died, and there are not many 'quick and easy' ways for a man to make money in this town." William said with a scowl. "So a colleague of mine at the university told me I could make a little extra cash as a stripper. Looking back on it now, he was most likely either drunk or on some sort of delirium-inducing drug. His idea ended up being a complete waste of time and extremely unsettling. So I instead found my own way to make money: the adoption agency. In exchange for fostering two young children, I was given around $300 or so. I was able to use that money to pay off my schooling completely, and I now had two children who I adored. I only had them for a year, as per the usual deal, but they kept in touch with me for the next two or three years afterwards. If I remember correctly, Cherry was 11 years old, whilst Chris was 10." William smiled wistfully. "Ah, those were the good old days..." He took a sip of his tea, staring off into space as his head rested back on his open palm.  
Samuel couldn't help but smile at the man. He was both extremely cute right now and his story was quite charming. "That's rather adorable." He chuckled, "Tell me about them." Samuel took another sip of his coffee before leaning forward on his elbows.  
William nodded, looking up at Samuel. "Cherry was the most volatile little girl I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, but she eventually started to mellow out as our year together ended." William laughed suddenly. "I just remembered our first meeting, in fact! 'Go suck a dick, old man', as she said so crudely. She had stuck her tongue out at me and pulled on her lower eyelid with her middle finger." William mimicked the motion. "So I said the second thing that came to my mind: 'you first!'" William roared with laughter, repeating the motion again, but with his pinkie finger.  
Samuel couldn't help but burst into laughter along with him, "Haha! Sounds like my kind of little gal!" He hit his hand on the table and calmed himself down, "Heh, she must have been a peach to raise for a year."  
William laughed again. "Oh she was just amazing!" He said sincerely. "She was so unfazed by the things I studied, but her brother, oh her brother was my favourite! Chris immediately trusted and loved me, calling me 'Dad' from the first week. He had a knack for engineering, and was a great help with creating my vacuum chamber! He was so talented, he could have joined the university with me!"  
"Picking between your kids? Tisk tisk, William." He chuckled softly as he listened, "Oh yeah? So why didn't you just adopt him, then?"  
William shook his head. "I couldn't. The adoption agency found me unfit to be a father. They were horrified at the fact that I allowed them to 'play' with dangerous, illegal chemicals and weapons." William scoffed. "I was teaching them how to defend themselves, and they never even touched the chemicals. They knew they were not allowed."  
Samuel shook his head, "Well, they might have had a point there, but still." He frowned a bit, "Any idea where they're at now?"  
"No clue, to tell the truth. I have not heard so much as a single word from them in seven years. Not even a letter." William looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I will call the agency now, as a matter of fact!" William got up quickly, his seat knocked back.  
"You said it's been seven years, mate!" Samuel called out, "I doubt the agency is even connected to them anymore at the age they're at. Don't get your hopes up!" But he trailed off and let the man go, smiling and shaking his head.  
William confidently strode up to the phone in the hallway, dialling the number to the agency. "Hello, this is William Masbath, I would like to inquire about two children who were apart of your agency's fostering program." A loud shriek could be heard before the receiver was hung up. "..." William dialed the number again, repeating the same phrase to a different lady who was able to give him Chris and Cherry's current address. "Thank you kindly, ma'am." He says cheerfully as he hangs up the phone.  
Samuel called out, "Who died?" He was able to hear that shriek all the way from the kitchen table.  
"Nobody." William said as he walked back into the room. "But I now have their current place of residence!" William started to twitch excitedly, bringing his hands up to his face and stomping his feet in place as he squeezed his eyes shut. William squealed in excitement, startling Samuel.  
Samuel jumped a bit but couldn't help but laugh. "Somebody's excited." He said standing up, "Well, ring them up! Why are you waiting?"  
"Why ring them up when we can visit them ourselves! Samuel, they live just on the other side of town!" William said excitedly, almost babbling with joy. "Oh sweet science, this is going to be amazing! We will be able to spend Halloween with them too!" William said.  
"We?" Samuel grinned sadly, "Will, if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly in the best condition for a visit. Besides, who knows what either of them are up to, you could walk in on them at a bad time."  
William's face fell. "Oh, yes, of course... How silly of me... You are right. We will visit them once you are better though, right?" William smiled again, his bright green eyes lighting up with hope.  
Samuel couldn't help but smile, his bright green eyes made him melt inside. "Yeah. The very second." He nodded firmly.  
William smiled wider at Samuel. He grabbed Samuel, pulling him into a tight hug. "Oh thank you."  
"Will- WILLIAM!" He yelling in pain as his cuts and wounds pulled under the strain of the hug.  
William jumps back, flinching at Samuel's cries. "Oh dear, I am so sorry, I was so excited and I just-" William cut himself off as he started to inspect Samuel's bandages frantically, sighing thankfully that no blood spots appeared.  
Samuel laughed lightly, "It's okay, it's okay. I understand." He smiled down at the man looking him over.  
William ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I forget myself sometimes, apologies..." He half-grinned sheepishly up at Samuel.  
The taller man chuckled, leaning over and kissing his forehead, "It's quite alright, Will." He smiled before heading back over to a chair and sitting down at it.  
William blushed slightly, but sat back down in his seat, gulping down the rest of his now cold tea.  
Samuel smiled warmly over at him. "You really are adorable, you know that?" He said off-handedly.  
William looked down at his empty cup, some undissolved sugar still at the bottom. His face was now a bright red.  
Samuel chuckled softly, turning his head to look out the window, closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun coming through the glass.  
William stuck his finger down into the mass of unmelted sugar, taking a big glob and eating it as he looked out the window at the early morning.  
Samuel rubbed his eyes and sighed softly, looking back over at William, "So, what do we have in store for us today?" He asked, a slight gleam in his golden eyes.  
"Nothing, to be honest." William replied with a shrug. "You are injured."  
"Well yes, but that doesn't mean don't have anything to do. Am I right?"  
William shook his head. "I did not have anything planned today other than picking up my order from last night's party."  
"Hah, good times, good times." Samuel mused.  
William raised an eyebrow at Samuel, but said nothing about his comment. "Well I do not need you to accompany me to this meet up, as it will be not too far from here."  
Samuel shrugged, "You need help tightening your corset or something at least?"  
William frowned at Samuel. "I only need my lady clothes when attending parties."  
The man rolled his eyes, "Riiiight, right." He snickered, "Sorry. Couldn't help it."  
William rolled his eyes at Samuel, then got up and stretched his arms above his head. A few pops from his spine could be heard.  
Samuel sighed and stood up. "Perhaps then, you could drop me off at the casino so I am able to clean myself up a bit?" My car is still here and I feel like I could REALLY go for a shower right now."  
William nodded. "Allow me to get dressed, first. Would you prefer a coat or a shirt, as your shirt is damaged irreparably?"  
Samuel thought a moment, "Your shirts are probably too small for me, so, probably a jacket."  
William crossed his arms. "Well I also have a much bigger frame than you do, so why don't you try one on and see!" William went upstairs, then came back down moments later with one of his button-down shirts.  
Samuel rolled his eyes, "Alright alright. Thank you, anyway." He gingerly took the shirt from William and slipped it on, wincing when his bad arm passed through the sleeve. Buttoning it up with a slight shake in his hands, he nodded in thanks, "This should work."  
William snorted slightly at the shirt on Samuel, which was somehow both too short and too baggy at the same time. He covered his mouth with one hand, trying not to laugh.  
Samuel looked down at himself and chuckled, "Well, I look like a girl who just got done with a one night stand. Fabulous." He said with a roll of his eyes, carefully standing himself up. "I'll return it next time I see you."  
William nodded, smiling widely. "Drive carefully, Samuel." He says.  
"Hah, if I crash in a ditch, you'll be first to know." He grinned at him, standing up a bit straighter and nodding with a soft smile towards William.  
William waved to Samuel as he limped out the front door. "Farewell, Samuel. I shall see you next time."  
Samuel waved back and headed for his car, hopping in and driving back to the casino. 

It would be a few weeks until Samuel returned, leaving William in the house by himself once more. Not a sound was to be heard. That was, until the phone rang.  
William dashed downstairs to the phone, picking it up halfway through the third ring. "Masbath residence, you have reached William Masbath. Who am I speaking with?" William said breathlessly into the receiver.  
"Hey, dad!" Was heard on the other line. But the voice wasn't fully recognizable. It had been a few years, after all.  
William paused for a moment, before a toothy grin broke out on his face. "Chris?" He asked. "Is that you?"  
"Yeah it's me! The agency rang me up and told me you called them looking for me and Cherry? Hah, it's been WAY too long, dad."  
William laughed aloud. "Edison alive, I had almost forgotten to visit the address the agency gave me! Indeed it has been awhile..." William trailed off with a sigh. "How have you two been, Chris? I have not heard so much as a single word from you in over seven years."  
Chris laughed nervously on the other end of the line, "Yeah, I'm SO sorry about that. Live kinda hit us both like a ton of bricks after we left, and well, we've been trying to settle ourselves this past year." His grin could practically shine through the receiver end. "But past that, live has been pretty good- Oh hang on," Chris held the phone away from his mouth and called into the room he was in, "CHERRY! DAD'S ON THE PHONE! YOU WANNA SAY HI?" Deep in the room there was the sound of a young woman calling back, "TELL HIM TO FUCK OFF AND SUCK A DICK!" Chris spoke back into the phone directly, "She says hi and I love you." He snickered then yelped in pain when Cherry punched his arm.  
William chuckled heartily at the two siblings he had come to call his children. "Oh science, I have missed you two. Will you be visiting soon? Thanksgiving should be approaching within the next week or two... Or would you prefer Christmas?"  
Chris had to think about it for a moment, "Are you still at the same house? Cherry and I are actually in an apartment just outside of Chicago right now. We're planning on moving to New York to look for work some time in spring, I think."  
William blinked twice. "New York...? Where in New York? I was actually born in a small town just outside there..." William trailed off in surprise. "Oh, but of course, I am still living in the same place of residence."  
"Probably somewhere down town, maybe. I talked to some old friends and they said there's a certain job opening for being a watchmaker's apprentice somewhere around there. Oh, and I'm able to transfer my position as the paperboy, to!" Chris paused, "Hey, Dad, would it be okay if we came to visit sometime soon? Thanksgiving sounds nice, but I wanna see you sooner! I've been working on my blueprinting like you showed me a-and I've got SO many ideas for your space chamber!" He tried to keep himself from babbling, but he knew William wouldn't really mind.  
William smiled widely yet again. "Of course, of course! I would love to have the two of you over at anytime!" William snapped his fingers. "Oh, and you two would have the chance to meet my new, ahem, *assistant*, Samuel Sauber." Even though Chris couldn't see William, he still his his face in one hand as if to cover his blush.  
Chris laughed, "Ooo~! Sounds like papa's got a cruuuuush!" Chris sang before howling with laughter.  
William blushed even darker. "Well what about you, then, my darling son?" He asked sarcastically. "Do you yourself have a beau?"  
Chris stopped laughing, going quiet for a long moment. "... Had."  
William stopped in his tracks. "Had...? What on earth happened to them?"  
Chris rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "This girl, Lily, cheated on me for a good few months. I found her out, and she called me a freak and ran off with the bastard she was fucking." He trailed off a bit before clearing his throat, "But it's fine. She was a snot anyway." He laughed.  
William sighed. "Oh goodness, that is terrible! How long has it been? Have you not found another since her departure?" William asked, a twinge of concern in his voice.  
"Ehhh, it's been a good year or so, so, nah. I haven't really found anyone new yet. Still.. It still kinda hurts, you know?" The teen said quietly. But instantly perked up, "So tell me about your new assistant! Is he nice? Has he tried calling the cops on you yet?"  
William laughed. "Oh no, he definitely has not called the police! Samuel is a casino owner who was left a debt by his asshole of a father, then apparently they kept scamming him even though he had already paid the debt off fivefold! So I bashed the motherfucker's head in when they demanded ransom from me after kidnapping him. Goodness, that was a fiasco! Thankfully the police never traced the, ah, *damages* back to me. But science almighty is he a looker!" William exclaimed with a wistful sigh.  
Chris couldn't help but laugh, "Careful dad, remember that gentleman in blue from the party years ago? I could have sworn he was going to propose to you right then and there!"  
William blushed at the thought. "Oh I know, but he ended up being an undercover policeman who thought I was running an underground drug operation! No, Samuel is much better looking than that gentleman. A tad bit on the lanky side, but he has the most beautiful golden eyes! An amazing birth defect that may look demonic on some others, but looks heavenly with his pale complexion!"  
Chris chuckled softly, "Sounds like you're head-over-heels for this one, Pop. Have you told him that yet? How long has he been working for ya?"  
William sighed. "He has been my assistant for approximately two months, and No, I do not believe I have told him yet, but kissed me after attending a party a few weeks back. I have not seen him since, sadly enough. It does not help that I was a woman that night..." William sighed again. "I do hope he is alright. He was quite injured when I had last seen him."  
"You patched him up, right? Like the way you did when I accidentally tipped that one beaker of chemicals onto my back when Cherry and I were messing around?"  
William grunted. "Yes, indeed I did. Two bullet wounds and multiple knife cuts. I only had to stitch up one of the knife cuts, but the bullet wounds frightened me a smidgen. The one in his leg almost hit a main artery, and the one in his arm grazed the bone. We were very lucky that the shooter was not very well rehearsed in the anatomy of an adult male."  
Chris nervously laughed, "Yeah, thank god you were able to step in and help him, dad." Cherry called from inside the room and Chris replied, "Alright, be right there." He spoke back to William, "Sorry. But I have to go, dad. Cherry and I are meeting up with some mates for lunch. I'll try and call back later, alright?"  
William nodded. "Farewell, Chris. I look forward to our next meeting! I love you Chris! Tell Cherry that I love her, too!" William smiled.  
"I love you to, dad. Talk to you soon!" And with that, Chris hung up the phone with a soft click.  
William put down the recover happily, skipping back up to his room to continue his nap.  
Sometime around the next morning, a loud knock was heard from the front door of William's house.  
William walked upstairs from his lab, removing his apron and gloves then locking the door to the lab behind him. After confirming he had no blood on himself, he opened the door.  
And there Samuel stood, a bright smile on his face while he held a box of tools and William's shirt in one hand. "Morning, boss."  
William smiled upon seeing Samuel, now completely healed. "Samuel!" William exclaimed. "It has been weeks, why on earth have you chosen to show up now?"  
Samuel shrugged sheepishly, "You told me to heal up. And I had to catch up on my paperwork so that kept me under lockdown for a good week." He chuckled lightly and held up William's shirt, "In one piece and clean."  
William accepted the shirt gladly, opening the door wider so that Samuel could walk past him. "Well come in, then." William shuts the door behind Samuel. "So what brings you here today?"  
Samuel nodded in thanks and walked past William to get inside, "Well, as thanks for fixing me up and saving my life, I think the least I could do was come into work and work on fixing that hole in the roof." He grinned at the shorter man, holding up his toolbox and giving it a shake.  
William nodded approvingly, crossing his arms. "Alright, then. You have the most excellent timing, as well. We will be having guests very soon, possibly within the week, and the room with the hole was Chris' room."  
Samuel cracked a wider grin, "Your kids are comin' over? Hah, that fantastic!"  
William grinned toothily up at the taller man. "Yes, Chris and Cherry called yesterday, saying that they would like to visit soon, but preferably before thanksgiving. So that leaves a week or so to fix the roof."  
Samuel nodded and saluted, "You can count on me, boss!" He walked towards the stairs a few steps before back-tracking and planting a quick kiss on William's cheek. Chuckling softly before jogging up the stairs, a small hint of a limp still lingering.  
William flushed slightly at the kiss, but followed him anyway. William went into his room and hung the shirt up in the closet before joining Samuel in looking up at the hole. "Would you like a hand getting up there?" William asked, looking over at Samuel with his hands on his hips.  
"A ladder would be fantastic." He said with a sigh, setting down his toolbox and adjusting his belt a bit, "I'll be right back. I have the patch materials back in my car." He grinned down at the still blushing man before heading out of the room.  
William shook his head as he called after Samuel. "I do not believe I own a working ladder, but I should be able to hoist you up there myself. Combined, our heights are approximately twelve feet." William sighed in exasperation as Samuel chose not to respond. William tapped his foot impatiently as he awaited Samuel's return.  
About a minute later, Samuel came back into the room- a bag of roof tiles in ones hand, and a couple of sheets of ply-wood up on his other shoulder. He carefully set the planks down, leaning them up against the bed as well as the tiles. "No ladder.. Hm.. Are you sure you can lift me up..?"  
William nodded. "Definitely. Judging by your stature I would assume you do not weigh much more than 180 pounds."  
Samuel shrugged, "Close enough. Gimme a boost up then."  
William nodded again, taking a wider stance as he interlocked his fingers in a cradle for Samuel to place his foot in.  
Samuel put his foot into his hands and said, "One, two, three- hup!"  
William lifted Samuel up easily, almost tossing him up onto the roof. William held his arms above his head, Samuel wobbling on top.  
With that, Samuel awkwardly hoisted himself up onto the roof top. He stood up and whistled out at the view. "Ever consider putting an extra deck up here?"  
William shrugs. "I never had the time to do any renovations or build any additions to the house." William says. "How bad is it?"  
"Well.. most of the tiles around here are molded over, but that's an easy replacement job." He looked over the edge into the hole, "Can you pass up my tools?"  
William nodded, picking up the locked toolbox and tossing it up at Samuel.  
Samuel caught it with a small grunt and put it aside. "Thanks. Now the tiles and boards?"  
William nodded again, grabbing a bundle of the boards and throwing them up on the roof right next to Samuel, almost hitting him. The bound stack of tiles landed right next to the boards.  
Samuel blinked and called back down, "Thanks, Will! I can take it from here!"  
"Alright. Thank you for this." William called back.  
"Any time." He replied with a wink and set to work, opening up his tool box to pull put a long flat screwdriver- using it to help himself pry the old tiles off the roof, tossing them down into the backyard. He'd pick them up later.  
William smiled up at Samuel, making his way back down to the basement to resume his work from earlier.  
As soon as he knew William was gone, he pull his shirt off to avoid getting it too sweaty as the sun burned down onto the black roof. And he set to work.  
Hours later, William re-emerged from the basement to check on Samuel. He wiped a smear of blood off his face as he walked into the room. "Samuel?" He called out.  
Samuel had placed the fresh bored down onto the tile-stripped roof and nailed it securely into place, and was now re-tiling over it. Using small nails to pound them, we was whistling a small tune as he worked.  
William called out again, a little louder this time. "Samuel, do you need anything up there?"  
Samuel stopped whistling and yelled through a thin patch in the roof, "I'm alright thanks! Ah, open the window, I can't hear you very well!"  
William did as was suggested, leaning out the window to look up at Samuel. "Do you need anything up there Samuel? You have been up there for hours now."  
Samuel peeked over the edge at William, "I'm all good up here. Just a few more tiles and I'm finished. Keep the window open so I can climb back in, eh?"  
"Alright." William said, going back inside the house. His footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the house as he went back downstairs to clean up his mess.  
A little while later, Samuel carefully tossed his shirt and toolbox into the room before swinging into it after them. He landed with a soft thud and whipped his brow. He looked down at his new scars and ran a hand over them. William must have had some sort of special threat because the stitches themselves had dissolved into his skin as the wounds healed. Interesting.  
William heard a loud thump as he finished wiping down the surgical table. He put down the cloth, walking back upstairs to see if Samuel was alright. He walked in, just starting to unroll his sleeves when he saw Samuel shirtless. William stopped in his tracks, staring at the taller man awkwardly.  
Samuel turned his head as the smaller man walked in. He fully turned to face him and grinned softly at him, "One hole in the roof, fixed." He said a bit proudly, looking up at the ceiling, resting his hands on his hips and nodding at his work.  
William turned slightly pink, nodding. "Thank you, again. I do not believe Chris would have been particularly happy at spending his nights in the cold, although admittedly he may have liked the view of the stars..." William said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he looked up at the place where the hole once was. A small amount of blood streaked across his chin, left over on his hands from cleaning.  
Samuel shrugged, "Well, if he blows another hole in the roof, I'll put in a sky-light next time." He said with a chuckle. "Hey, if he does like stargazing, remember, this room has some of the biggest windows in the house." He grinned softly before blinking, "You, ah.. y-you got a little.. somethin' on your chin."  
William blinked, looking at his hand. "Oh goodness, I forgot a spot!" William wiped the blood off of his chin with his forearm, quickly turning around and going back downstairs.  
Samuel blinked a few times before shrugging and reaching down and picking up his shirt, pulling it back over his head and neatly rolling up the sleeves and following William down into the basement.  
William wipes off the missed spots of blood with the stained wet rag he had used to wipe off the table, not noticing that Samuel had followed him down to his lab.  
Samuel knocked on the side of the open door, "William?"  
William jumps slightly, dropping the rag as he turns around to face Samuel. "Oh, apologies, I did not realise you had followed me! I was merely cleaning up my mess from earlier, but it seems I had mistakenly forgotten a few spots and smears." William says, bending down to pick the rag back up.   
Samuel cautiously stepped in, looking around the area, "Dare I even ask..?"  
William shook his head, placing the dirtied rag back on the clean table. No body could be seen, but a large metal draw stuck out of the side of the wall slightly. "I had just finished up with a strange case of gangrene I had seen in a homeless man. Needless to say, his life in my hands was a much better fate than letting the rot consume him." William says nonchalantly, waving a hand. He starts to unroll his sleeves completely, so he could button them back up.  
Samuel knit his eyebrows together but nodded curtly. "Please tell me you're not going to do this when your kids arrive.." He mumbled out. "What would they think if they saw you doing.." He vaguely gestered around at his work space and the bloodied rag, "This?"  
William raised an eyebrow, placing his hands on his hips. "What on earth are you talking about? Chris and Cherry do not care about my work, in fact. Chris even helped me make my vacuum chamber, helping me to test it the very first time on rats and other small mammals. 'The children' literally grew up on the streets, witnessing many a heinous crime! Do you believe they would be fazed by my work now, if they were not fazed when they were barely even starting puberty?" William asked calmly.  
"I do." Samuel said sternly, taking a step closer, "Rats are one thing. But living people.. One the streets or not, it's not right. No matter what angle you look it from." He kept the fire from his voice as he spoke, "Have you really become so numb to all of this, that you think it won't effect anybody else..?"  
William was taken aback by this, a look of shock on his face. "...oh... I...." William looked at Samuel with wide green eyes. "I am terribly sorry... You are right... Chris and Cherry were not too terribly interested whenever I did a dissection, but they still held a certain interest... I just..." William shrunk in on himself slightly, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Goodness, am I that bad of a person...?" William mutters at the floor, refusing to look back up at Samuel.  
Samuel hesitated before walking over to the man, standing in front of him and gently lifting his chin to make William look him in the eye. "Will..." He started with a soft voice, his golden eyes softening, "I don't know you, if I'm being honest... I haven't been close enough to your work to understand why you do it but.." He slowly took in a breath an let it out through his nose, "But from what I've seen of you, you are a good person.. You just.." Samuel hesitated before sighing out again, "Just be careful with what you're doing. Alright?" His voice grew softer at the end before he leaned forward and kissed the smaller man's forehead, "I worry about you, ya'know."  
William stared up at Samuel openmouthed. "I-thank you, Samuel. I am constantly being reminded by assistants of my inhumane methods, so I can see where you are coming from." William leaned up on his tip-toes to peck Samuel lightly on the lips. "I am sorry."  
Samuel tried a soft smile, "I just don't want you scaring off the kiddos." He chuckled softly, his ears turning a bit pink from the little kiss. Samuel gently rubbed his thumb across William's cheek, trying to calm the man down a little. "It's alright. Really, it is. But.. perhaps we should look into other ways of science..?"  
William pursed his lips slightly as the corners of his mouth turned down almost imperceptibly. "What other ways can there be to test the limits of the human body? Admittedly I have down as many tests as I could on myself, but it is not like I can document the makeup of humans by dissecting myself. That would make my work biased and partially incorrect." William looks up at Samuel, cocking his head to one side slightly. "What do you propose I do about my predicament?"  
Samuel paused, giving William a bit of a hard look, "William.. Don't you think you've gotten plenty of data already? Besides, I bet other scientists have already done the same things you have."  
William frowned. "I do not know of any other scientists in the same field of work as I." He looked down at his feet again. "And I have not been able to fully calculate the effects of space on the human body. My research has been mainly based on assumptions and predictions I have made based on my experiments, not concrete evidence." William looked up at Samuel, an almost malicious fire in his eyes. "But I will be damned before I give up on my work!"  
Samuel moved back a step, fear streaked into his eyes, "I never said you had to give it up, William! I was just suggesting of finding another way perhaps!"  
William looked at Samuel with a confused look on his face. "But what other way?" He asks, taking a step towards Samuel. His eyes narrow slightly. "Are...are you afraid?"  
Samuel didn't know what to do, he knew the smaller man was stronger than him, but he had to make some kind of point, "I don't know what other way!" He took another step back and bumped into one of William's work tables. "What does it matter if I'm afraid?"  
William's face drops darkly, and he frowns up at Samuel. He puts his hands against the table behind Samuel, on either side of Samuel's slim hips. "It matters if you are afraid or not because I truly like you." William gets as close to Samuel's face as his stature allows. "I do not work as well with a fearful partner than I do with a comfortable one, and I would rather you not end up like my last assistant." William glared up at Samuel. "Whilst it may be true that his death was an accident, I did not regret it too much."  
Samuel stared down at him, shaking his head slowly, "Are humans really that easily replaceable to you?" He bit his lip before slowly replying. "Do you want the truth?" He narrowed his eyes further, "Yes, I am afraid of you, William..." He shakily rose a hand up to the smaller man's face, gently pushing some hair from his face, "You.. You're scaring me right now.." He said a bit unevenly as he lowered his hand back down to his side, squaring his shoulders out. "Please.." He quietly begged, "Please calm down.. I didn't mean to offend you.."  
William lets out a shaky breath as Samuel momentarily strokes his face. When Samuel pulls away, William looks back down, leaning his head against Samuel's chest. He is now gripping the table with white knuckles. "I am sorry... Mister Samuel." He says quietly, still looking down. William's shoulders sag as he backs away from Samuel, choosing to sit on the floor cross-legged a few feet away from Samuel. "I will not stop you if you choose to stop being my assistant." He hides his face in his hands, leaning on his knees. "You did not offend me, however. I simply do not like when others remind me that I am failing in my research. It is...frustrating... To say the least..." William says as he looks up at Samuel with hooded eyes, the younger man still frozen in place against the table.  
Samuel stayed in place a moment, utterly confused and unsure of what to do. When the smaller man crumpled to the floor, his heart swelled. He should have kept his damn mouth shut.. The taller man slowly walked towards William, sitting the same way in front of him. He reached out and took one of his hands, meeting his eye with a soft gaze, "I'm not going anywhere. And you wanna know why?" He asked with a soft voice.  
William stares into Samuel's golden eyes. "Why is that?" He asks quietly, licking his lips quickly.  
Samuel gave him a soft grin, "Because you're so amazingly brilliant, but even then I can see through it and see.. we've both gone a long time without having someone around to comfort." He gingerly pressed his lips against William's forehead before pulling him into a tight hug, ignoring his healing injuries cry out in a bit of pain, "I'm sorry that I insulted you.. it wasn't my intention at all.. You are anything but a failure in my eyes." He murmured quietly.  
William frowned as Samuel hugged him. 'He still will not kiss me on the *lips* ' He thinks. 'Did he only do it that one time *because I was a woman?* '  
Samuel blinked and pulled away from William, scanning his face before resting pressing their foreheads together, "Will.." He chuckled softly, "Speaking your thoughts will get you into trouble someday." Samuel smirked at the smaller man before cupping William's face in his hand and pulling him forward into a deep kiss.  
William gasped when Samuel kissed him, but responded enthusiastically. "Speaking my thought...?" He said breathlessly into the kiss. "I don't...?" William brought one hand up to the back of Samuel's neck, further deepening the kiss.  
Samuel couldn't help but smirk beneath the kiss, just barely parting enough for him to reply, "You to, Will. You've been doing it.. ever since.. we met." His eyes drooped half closed as he kissed the man again, bracing one hand behind William's hip as he tilted his head to get a little better access to the older man's lips.  
William pulled away slightly. "Wait, what? I do not speak my thoughts." He said stubbornly. He let out a little gasp when Samuel's hand rested just above his ass then kissed him deeper.  
"Mmph.. Shut up already." Samuel mumbled as he dragged his hand up from the ground, over his ass and resting in the small of his back, motioning to pull the smaller man into his lap. This whole thing- them being together just.. felt right to Samuel. He couldn't explain it, nor did he care. They just.. clicked in his mind.  
William smiled, climbing into Samuel's lap obediently, immediately reinstating the kiss. William's arms rest on either side of Samuel's shoulders now.  
Samuel's smirk crept across his lips as he held the smaller man in his lap, one hand pulling him closer as the other crept up into his ashy-brown hair. He deepened the kiss further, going as far as running his tongue along William's bottom lip, asking for entrance.  
William opened his mouth with a small groan. "Fuck..." He whispered savagely. He chuckled slightly. "It's been awhile..."  
Samuel cracked his eyes open, a devilish smirk on his face. He flicked the other man's tongue teasingly before pulling away from him. Lifting his chin up a bit, looking down at the smaller man past his nose.   
William raises an eyebrow at Samuel. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"  
Samuel chuckled lowly, gently tugging at William's hair, leaning forward, "Take a wild guess~" He purred in his ear, moving and picking William up, making the man's legs wrap around his waist, "Let's take this where we can get a little more comfortable, eh?" He said, his voice smooth yet low, sending shivers down William's spine.  
William flushed a dark red at Samuel's actions. "O-oh fuck, okay..." William hooked his ankles together so that he wouldn't fall off of Samuel. He shivered slightly, dirty thoughts running through his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YE BE WARNED, AHEAD BE NSFW


	4. Bruises and Bitemarks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ROUGH GAY MASOCHISTIC SEX
> 
> there I warned you.

Samuel started carrying William upstairs, covering his face and neck in gentle kisses and little nips until they reached his room and pushed the door open. Samuel made his way over to the bed and plopped the smaller man down on it, crawling up ontop of him and pinning his wrists above his head.  
William moaned aloud at Samuel's ministrations, shutting his mouth tightly as soon as the sound left his lips. His face was a dark scarlet at this point.  
Samuel reveled in the little noises the man made, he leaned down, his breath ghosting over his cheek and jawline as he moved down, slowly loosening William's tie and sliding it off and lowering the collar of his shirt. At first gently kissing his neck before alternating from small bites and sucking, moving his legs so he was straddling the smaller man.  
William tried his best to stay quiet as Samuel start to give more attention to his neck. He let out breathy moans as he started to pant. "S-Samuel, holy shit..." 'Don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up' "Bite me..." 'YOU FUCKED THIS UP'  
Samuel smirked and complied, moving around his neck and leaving both shark and soft little bites and nips. He was teasing him of course, never staying on one bite long enough to draw blood or leave a nasty bruise. He put a little pressure against their hips as he slowly started to unbutton William's vest and dress shirt.  
' *Wait what?* ' William thought. 'Is he actually *into this?* '  
Samuel pulled back, looking down at William, his smirk still evident on his face as his yellow eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, "See? You're talking to yourself right now."  
William's eyebrows furrowed. "I most certainly am not!" He said stubbornly. William looked down to see his shirt completely unbuttoned, his abdomen stretched as his arms were still above his head. William looked even more confused. "When did that happen...?" William asked breathlessly as Samuel started to run his hands over his chest.  
"Just now.." He said simply, gentle, calloused hands running over his abs and ribs. His eyes drooped, "You hide your figure, Will.." He traced his abs with a single finger, sending shivers down William's spine again, "You're much more fit that you seem at first glance.." He trailed off as he leaned forward, the tip of his tongue running up from William's bellybutton up to his neck and jaw. Samuel loved seeing William squirm like this.  
William turned his head to the side, partially hiding his face in his arm. "I, uh, work out sometimes... It comes in handy occasionally, b-but hinders my progress sometimes when I have to go undercover..." William blushes furiously as Samuel licks a stripe up his torso. "Sonova bitch..."  
Samuel smirked, moving one hand to brush hair away from William's red face, "You're so precious like this, you know?" He ran his fingers down William's face and under his chin, lifting his head so he made William look at him. Leaning forward, he placed another rough kiss to his lips, lightly kneeding his bottom lip between his teeth.  
William moaned into the openmouthed kiss. He smirked after a little bit. "Do you know what one of the bigger advantages of being fit are?" He asked slyly, pressing for an answer to his half-rhetorical question.  
Samuel half opened his eyes, pulling away from their kiss to give William a curious look, "What do yo- AH!" He didn't realize until he was on his back that William had pinned him down to the bed, "S-Shit, William!" His face tinged a bit red.  
William pressed his face close to Samuel's eyes only half-open with lust. "People forget I can do this." He says. William buries his face in Samuel's neck, kissing and biting slightly harder than Samuel had done unto him. William slowly started to grind his hips against Samuel's, the muscles in his stomach rolling smoothly.  
"A-Ahh.." Samuel groaned out, his head tilting back to expose his skin more to William, back arching when he started grinding, "F-Fuck, hah.. you're really into this." He moaned out softly, biting his lip to keep himself from being too loud.  
William growled, biting a little harder. He drew out a hard roll of his hips at Samuel's praise.  
Samuel screwed his eyes shut as he gripped the sheets at his sides, "W-William.. gah..!" He moaned out into his ear. He slowly reached up and started to slide William's shirt off his shoulders to expose his toned muscles. God damn he looked so good..  
William took his hands off of the sheets beside Samuel's head, starting to remove Samuel's shirt as well. He sat up, panting slightly so he could see the buttons he was undoing, stopping only momentarily to remove his shirt and vest completely. He flung the articles of clothing across the room before going back to undoing Samuel's shirt.  
Samuel bit his lip, his gaze roaming over William's figure with a light smirk plastered on his face. Samuel carefully sat up and slid the shirt off his shoulders and tossed it to the floor, setting William back in his lap as he rested his hands on his hips. He leaned forward and kissed the man again roughly, guiding his hips to grind against his own.  
William's hands went up to hold Samuel's neck lightly, growling again as Samuel started to grind against him.  
Samuel smirked to himself, sliding his tongue out again and flicking William's lips, asking to enter once again.  
William opened his mouth, quickly claiming dominance. William squeezed the back of Samuel's neck lightly, slowly leaning him back down. William sat up once Samuel was firmly on his back, starting to undo the buttons on Samuel's pants. He paused. "Are-are we actually doing this?" He asked cautiously.  
Samuel narrow his eyes, forcefully sitting them back up and pushing William off him, standing up and pushing William against the far wall, lust brooding in his eyes as he pinned his wrists. "Hell yeah we are." Samuel smirked but loosened up a little, noticing his slight discomfort, "If you're alright with it.." He bit his lip as his hands slid down to William's pants, resting them on the hem.  
"We can stop or slow down any time." He said in a comforting voice as he slowly started undoing William's pants.  
William blinked rapidly, coming as if coming out of a haze. "I-oh God, yes, I just- it's been awhile, and I uh- uhm... I don't know why I'm like this, fuck...." William said harshly, half to himself as he ground his palms into his eyes.  
Samuel paused his actions, moving his hands up and gently taking William's hands in his, kissing his forehead, "It's alright, love. We can slow down." He smiled softly at the shorter man.  
"I, uh, uhm- I like-" William took a deep breath before continuing, removing his hands from his face and looking Samuel in the eye. His face was a dark red, contrasting greatly with his bright green eyes. "Ilikepainidontfuckingknowwhy" He said in one breath, turning his head away in shame.  
Samuel's eyebrows rose a bit before they lowered and he rose one, "Really now?" His smirk slowly returned as he started to dig his nails into William's waist, just above the hem of his pants, slowly drawing little bits of blood.  
William let out a gasp, then a low moan. "Oh shit." William arches his back when Samuel digs his nails in deeper, drawing small wells of blood.  
Samuel purred softly, "You like that?" He asked as he started dragging his nails up William's sides, small lines of blood trickling out of the small scratches.  
William throws his head back, starting to babble slightly. "Oh my fucking god yes I do please oh fuck" he says quickly. William shuts his eyes to slits, looking down at Samuel as he grabbed his wrists. Samuel has only a moment of protest before William yanks him down, growling like before. "You are a fucking tease, you know that?" He snarls at Samuel, still holding both of his thin wrists in one hand.  
Samuel smirked at the man, "That's the point, love." He yanked his wrists away then dropped to his knees in front of William, unzipping his pants and pulling them down along with his boxers, he hummed softly at the sight and looked up at William, nothing but mischief in his eyes.  
William looks down at Samuel, a hungry glint in his eyes when his trousers are pulled down. "Wow, if you were an animal, you would DEFINITELY be an omega." William says with a smirk. William chuckles lightly, running a hand through Samuel's hair. "Which in this state, I guess you are..."  
Samuel rolled his eyes and set to work, pulling one of William's legs over his shoulder so he had more access- and he licked the inner part of his thigh before going and biting down- sucking and licking the blood that spilled out in little drops.  
William moaned loudly as Samuel's tongue lathed over the new wound, pulling himself up so that he was resting on his forearms. He watched Samuel go to town on him, face flushed as he panted. He fingers were still tangled in Samuel's long hair.  
Samuel repeated his actions on William's other leg, nipping close to his member, his breath ghosting it as he moved his head up. Samuel's thumbs gently rubbed circles in William's pelvis, looking up at him with soft, golden-amber eyes.  
William moaned a little quieter at Samuel's ministrations, his eyes sliding shut as his head fell back. "Fuck..."  
Samuel smirked as he moved his mouth over William's head, sucking softly and pulling up to lick the tip before taking him into his mouth fully- his tongue rolling over William as he moaned quietly.  
William gave a low groan as Samuel engulfed him. He tried his best not to buck his hips, but failed miserably. "Fuuuck...." He breathed, starting to shake slightly. He brought his head back forward to lean on his chest.  
Samuel started slow, bobbing his head slow as he hummed around William's length. God how he needed this. He groaned softly as William bucked into him, Samuel biting down on him whenever he did.  
William bit his lip, trying not to come like a teenager. "How the hell are you so fucking good at this, goddamn...?" He managed to say.  
Samuel chuckled lowly around him, pulling away when William was getting close, too close. And he stood up, looking down at the man as he slowly licked his lips.  
William panted, groaning at the younger. "Why'd you stop?" He asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.  
"We're not done yet." He smirked, shoving William down to his knees by clutching his hair. "My turn."  
William grinned up at Samuel, yanking the taller man's trousers and boxers down in one go, almost ripping them off. William placed a chaste kiss to the tip of his member before taking him in one go.  
Samuel bit his lip as he moaned out, threading his fingers into William's hair and gently tugging, "G-God.. fuck- ah.."  
William moaned around Samuel, his eyes wide open and staring at Samuel's face. He took in every little change in facial muscles that went through Samuel's face every time he moved his head. He pulled off almost completely when Samuel opened his eyes, knowing there was a strand of saliva connecting his open mouth and the member in front of him.  
Samuel bit his thumb's knuckle to keep from letting out a noise that would surely send him over. William was just too much. Samuel pulled at his hair, making the shorter man stand again as he shoved him back over to the bed, practically throwing him down as he spread out his legs.  
William grabbed a pillow, placing it under his head as he leaned back, putting his arms under the pillow. He grabbed the bars of the headboard in preparation, then smirked as a thought came to his head. "Samuel?"  
Before Samuel could start, he looked down at William, the older man's hair was a mess and his face was flushed. God he wanted to have his way, but he waited, wanting to see what he wanted, "Yes?"  
" *Wreck me.* "  
Samuel's mouth hung agape for a moment before he bit his lip in a smirk, "With *pleasure*." Samuel all but moaned out as he practically slammed into William, not bothering to go easy- via request- as he slid his whole length into William passionately.  
William screamed out, legs hooking around Samuel so tightly the younger man could barely move. A small snap could be heard from the wooden headboard as he accidentally broke one of the bars. William panted for a moment as he adjusted. "H-holy shit..."  
Samuel blinked when he broke the headboard, "Damn, William.. Remind me to let you give me a hand job later." He snickered as he slowed down a bit as he thrust into the smaller man. Rolling his hips in time with his laboring breaths.  
William chuckled breathlessly, his head falling back onto the pillow. He ground back against Samuel slowly, his thighs trembling ever-so-slightly as he released his iron grip around Samuel's hips.  
Samuel pinned William's shoulders down for support as he grinded into him, biting his lip so hard some blood started to fill his mouth, but he didn't care. He suddenly thrusted in extra hard, hoping to draw another blissful scream from his partner.  
William sighed out, a quiet moan resounding. William smirked up at Samuel with hooded, lust-blown eyes. "That all you got, Beanpole?" He taunted.  
Samuel shook his head as he picked up his pace, digging is blood-stained nails into William's shoulders, drawing out more blood as he fucked the smaller man into the mattress.  
William smiled, drooling slightly as Samuel fucked him faster. "Hnng... *Harder* !" He growled at Samuel, frustration starting to furrow his brow.  
Samuel groaned out, his brows knit together as he thrusted his member deeper into William, hitting his sweetspot and drawing out moans from the smaller man. He laughed out thickly as he went even faster and harder. " *GOD* you're so tiiight, Will."  
William grinned wider, his sharp canines showing as he laughed. "Tha-ats mo-more like I-it!" William moaned out. "Oh-oh fu-uucK!" William's voice raised an octave to his falsetto voice when Samuel hit his prostate. William literally *screamed* when he went over the edge, snapping two more of the headboards bars as his vision went white, clenching tightly around Samuel.  
Samuel groaned loudly when his lover went tight around him, but luckily soon, he to went over the edge and he fell down onto William's chest. Shallow, labored breaths hot against his skin as he carefully pulled out of William with a slight wince.  
William sighed contentedly, bringing his hands back from the headbar. He chuckled breathlessly as he stared at his bloody hands. "Fuuuuck, that was good!" William said darkly as he started to pick splinters out of his hands. "I really did not expect you to comply to my demands..." William smiled up at Samuel after removing all the splinters. "That was VERY good. I have only broken this headboard twice before now, but I did not break three bars!" William said deliriously.  
Samuel grinned tiredly up at him, "Do you EVER stop talking?" He said with a playful roll of his tired eyes before resting his head down against the smaller man's chest, completely exhausted.  
William shook his head. "No, I do not believe so. Apologies." William wrapped an arm around Samuel, pulling up his blankets with the other. "Frankly, I don't give a fuck if I am filthy now, I'm tired. Good night, Samuel." William sighed out.  
Samuel smiled softly at that, moving up and kissing William's jaw before resting down again, using the smaller man as a pillow as he turned to his side and wrapped his arms around his neck, mumbling, eyes already heavy and closing, "G'night, William.. Iloveyou." He slurred at the end before passing out. His hair was a mess and partly sticking to his sweat-covered forehead.  
William half-nodded as he too fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.  
-the next morning-  
William groaned, pushing himself farther into Samuel's back. "Fuck, why are you so warm?" He whispered.  
Samuel was still fast asleep, sleep having a hold on him like a constrictor. His features were peaceful and his body was at ease.  
William shifted slightly, the arm around Samuel's abdomen flexing slightly. 'He really is very attractive...' William chuckled very quietly. 'SO glad he fucked me...' William smiled into the back of Samuel's neck, moving some of his hair out of the way so he could kiss lightly.  
After a while, the taller man slowly woke up, eyes groogily blinking open, his mind slowly registering that somebody was holding him. "Mhph.." He groaned out, his hips were sore and he gently rubbed them. He'd kill to be able to be more fit like William. Speaking of- Samuel turned his head to look over at William, a faint smile on his chiseled, scarred face, "Mornin'.." He mumbled softly.  
"Morning." William grinned into the back of his neck. "How do you feel?" He asked sleepily.  
The taller man moaned quietly as he turned his body around to face his lover, using his arm to prop his head up, "Sore." He started, voice still heavy with sleep, "But it was worth it." He grinned and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to William's forehead.  
William giggled. "I'm the one who got fucked, why are you so sore?"  
Samuel rolled his eyes, "I don't think you realize how much I used my hips." He stuck his tongue out at him and sat up with a loud sigh as he stretched. "How are you feeling?" He asked, a bit of worry etched in his voice. He really didn't know William's limits. "I didn't hurt you too bad, did I..?" He asked, his eyes flicking over the bruises and healing lines where he clawed him.  
William sighed happily. "I feel *amazing* to tell the truth. He rolled onto his back and stretched, fluidly sitting up. William lolled his head onto his shoulder, staring at Samuel. "Of course you hurt me, but that's what I liked the most." William smirked.  
Samuel sighed in relief. Good, nothing is awkward, everything is okay. "That's good to hear." He grinned and winked at William, leaning forward and pecking his lips, "You're so weird, you know that?"  
William flushed slightly, then rubbed the back of his neck, making Samuel wince slightly when he saw William's mildly ripped up palms. "Yeah, I-I know..."  
Samuel blinked quickly and took his hands to inspect them, "God damn you really tore apart your headboard.."  
William pulled the covers off completely, getting out of bed and stretching again, his back facing Samuel. "Damn, I need a shower." He says as he puts his hands on his hips.  
Samuel looked up at William, a small grin on his face, "Mind if I join you?"  
William sighs. "Yeah, sorry... But I prefer my showers alone. When I shower, I am clean, and clean is always good." William awkwardly waves at Samuel as he leaves the room. "There is some food in the fridge so you can make breakfast if you want!" William calls out from the bathroom.  
Samuel nodded understandingly and was left alone in the bed. He rubbed his face with his hands and looked around.. god what had they done? Samuel held his head in his hands, "What did I do..?" He whispered to himself. Did he mean for it go that far? His mind raced. Ugh, it was too early for this.  
William showered quickly, wrapped a towel around his hips, then padded happily back to the bedroom. As he walked in, he noticed Samuel had his head in his hands. "Samuel? Are you alright?" He asked cautiously from the doorway.  
Samuel snapped his head up from the voice and blinked rapidly, forcing his built up tears to go away, "Y-Yeah. Yes, I'm alright.."  
William sat down on the bed beside Samuel's legs. He put his hands in his lap. "What is wrong? Did I do something wrong...?" William asked, a confused expression on his face. "Why are you crying?"  
Samuel quickly shook his head, "No, no, you didn't a thing wrong! It's just.. me." He bit his lip and rubbed his face, running a hand through his hair and sighing, "I'm just thinking.. Was.. what we did..." He blinked once before looking up at William, sighing out, "I'm just being anxious is all.."  
William's brow furrowed as he cocked his head. "Uh, what about last night...? Anxious...?" William was very confused now. He leaned back on his hands, crossing his legs beneath his towel. "Would you like to talk about it?"


	5. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hilariousness ensues

Samuel paused a moment and shook his head. "Just.. thinking is all. Ah, I-I'll be fine." He gave William a soft grin, hoping he'd take it.  
William looked at Samuel with a worried expression. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. "You regret last night, don't you?" He asked quietly, looking at his feet.  
Samuel snapped his head up, "No no! Of course not! Well.." He sighed softly, "Maybe.. it's just been a while for me." Samuel said with a shrug before tenderly placing a hand on William's back, "But I wouldn't change one thing about what happened."  
William smiled at Samuel. "Thank science, I thought you would regret last night..."  
Samuel shook his head, wrapping his arm around William and pulling him into a side hug, "Not in a million years." He said quietly, placing a soft kiss to William's temple.  
William chuckled slightly, turning and giving a soft kiss to Samuel. A knock could be heard at the door downstairs. William pulled away, confused. "Who on earth could that be?" He asked, walking up to the window to look out at the people below.  
Samuel picked up a random shirt and threw it at William, "Put something on, brainiack!" He chuckled, standing up and walking over to the window as well, looking down to the front door, "Who the hell..?"  
William shrugged, walking across the room to pick up and pull on his pants. He jogged out of the room before Samuel could say anything else, opening the door with a grin. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, officers?" William asks the two policemen on his door step.  
One of the officers looked the short man over skeptically, "We got a few noise complaints last night coming from this residence. Care to explain what you were doing last night, sir?" He cocked his eyebrow.  
William smiled wider, an eyebrow raised. "What type of noise complaints?" William asked as he leaned against the doorframe, his forearm braced against it above his head.  
The officer's assistant rolled her eyes at the smaller man.  
"The complainers said along the lines of strange noises- different from usual were coming from here as well as the sound of a woman screaming. Care to explain?"  
William started to chuckle slightly, putting a fist over his smile in a poor attempt to seem polite. "Ah, apologies officers, but that would be me who made those noises." William started to turn pink in the ears, reigning in his snickers.  
The woman officer rose her eyebrows, "Excuse us? What do you mean by that?"  
William rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, turning his head slightly away from the officers as his face turned red. "I, ah, am very, uh, *vocal* , if you know what I mean..." William trailed off sheepishly, suddenly regretting not putting on a shirt as his many marks were clearly on display.  
The male officer coughed, suddenly awkward, "R-Right. Well, ah, try to keep it down next time or else we'll have to write you up if we get another noise complaint."  
William flashed the officers an awkward grin, chuckling again. "Heh, uh, will do, sir and madam... Apologies again..."  
The officers nodded curtly before turned and heading back to their car, quickly climbing in and driving off.  
William shut the door, bursting into laughter as he leaned against the back of the door, sliding down it.  
Samuel peaked out from behind the corner of the kitchen, "What was all of that about now?" He asked, walking over with two mugs of coffee in his hands.  
William took one look at Samuel, then started laughing even harder, holding his stomach. "O-o-oh my fucking God!" William gasped out, calming down a bit as he wiped tears from his eyes. "We were so loud last night that they called the cops to investigate, and I quote, 'A woman screaming'." William sighed. "Oh that was hilarious. I had to explain to the police officers that the 'woman's scream' was me..." William snickered at that.  
Samuel couldn't help but burst into laughing as well, "OH GOD DAMN! HAHA!" He set the mugs down before he could spill them and clutched his stomach, "Fucking Christ that's hilarious!"  
William grinned toothily at Samuel. "I know, right? The female officer looked used to things like this, but the male was extremely flustered."  
Samuel cried out in another laugh and slapped his knee, "Ohh man, that's fantastic! Hah, looks like we have some goals to break for next time then, eh?" He snickered and walked over to him after calming himself down, sitting beside him against the door. Samuel reached over and grabbed the coffee, handing one to William.  
William took a sip of the drink without realising it was coffee, then spluttered. He grimaced as he handed the cup back to Samuel. "Oh, goodness, I am so sorry, but I really do not like coffee..." He muttered in apology.  
William shrugged. "My assistants always prefer coffee for some godawful reason. I myself never liked the taste... Too bitter." William clicked his tongue as he frowned. "I have no clue how anyone drinks it at all, especially without sugar."  
Samuel shrugged, "It's a pick-me-up. Helps get the day started." He took another sip, "Want me to put some tea on for you instead?" Samuel offered, his mind flashing back to his mother having tea in the mornings but it quickly passed.  
William nodded. "Yes please. The tea should be just behind the coffee in the cupboard."  
Samuel nodded and stood himself up, offering a hand to William with a small smile.  
William takes Samuel's hand, following him into the kitchen and sitting down as Samuel puts the kettle on.  
The taller man hummed to himself as he moved around, looking for the tea and pulling it down along with the sugar. "Want me to make us some eggs or something?"  
William nodded. "I should have some bread and butter in the fridge too, so toast would be lovely."  
Samuel nodded with a smile, heading over and opening up the fridge, "Mind if I get a little creative with it, then?" He asked, pulling out the items he needed and setting them on the counter, turning on a separate burner with a click.  
William nodded. "Go ham." He said nonchalantly, crossing his arms on the table and resting his head on them.  
Samuel grinned and set to work on making food. Pouring William a cup of tea when the kettle whistled at them, handing William the box of assorted teabags so he could choose for himself. Samuel kissed his head before turning and heading back to making breakfast.  
William chuckled quietly, picking out Orange Pekoe and placing it in the cup, steeping it as he watched Samuel whirl around the kitchen.  
Samuel quietly hummed a tune to himself as he worked- the same one he played in the casino in the middle of the night when they first met. Sizzling and the smell of eggs and toast floated through the kitchen.  
William's head was back down on his arms by the time Samuel had started humming. William absentmindedly started humming along with Samuel, still unsure of where he had heard it. 'Maybe the radio...?' William thought with a small smile.  
Eventually, Samuel clicked the stove off and moved the pan off to the side, dishing up their food and bringing the plates over in one arm while holding the kettle of still warm water. Like a gentleman, he poured William another cup before setting down his plate in front of him. "Bon apatite'." He said with a grin and handed the man a fork.  
Their breakfast was a few slices of toast with indented holes pressed into them where the cooks eggs sat perfectly inside them. Some potatoes and ham on the side.  
William lifted his head up, his eyebrows shooting up as his eyes went wide at the food before him.  
"Holy shit..." William whispered before grinning. He took a fork and started to dig into the meal. "This is AMAZING!" William groaned out, his mouth full. "You are an even better cook than I!"  
Samuel chuckled softly, taking a seat next to the man, "My mother taught me before she passed. And if we're short-handed I take up a part in the kitchen." He lifted the toast to his mouth and took a rather large bite from it. "I'm glad you like it!"  
William smiled widely. "Well compliments to your mother then!" He exclaimed, continuing to scarf down the food.  
Samuel couldn't help but smile, glancing upwards before digging in himself a bit more, taking another sip of his black coffee.  
Soon William finished his meal with a big sigh. He leaned back, a soft smile on his face as he patted his stomach. William sat patiently, leaning his head back on the chair. "Samuel, you are an absolutely *amazing* cook." William mutters happily.  
Soon Samuel finished up his own meal and coffee, grinning widely at him, "I'm glad to hear it! Thank you." He stood up from the table, picking up their plates, and bringing them over to the sink along with the pan he used to cook with and wooden spoon. The lanky man turned on the water and rolled up his sleeves, starting to clean up the mess he made while cooking.  
William sighed again, watching Samuel do the dishes. 'Best *boyfriend* I have *ever had*, that is for damn *sure*...' William thinks. 'Damn nice ass too...'  
Samuel glanced over at him, a soft smirk toying with his lips, "You're doing it again."  
William sat up, cocked his head to the side. "Doing what?"  
"Talking to yourself. But only in small parts, though."  
William flushes, eyes going wide. He lets out a small sound as he hides his now bright red face in his hands. "Oh my goodness, what did I say...?"  
Samuel hummed softly, turning back to the dished, "Well.. 'Boyfriend', 'ever had', and 'sure.'" He replied, grinning to himself as he scrubbed the pan clean of the burnt-on bits.  
William let out a quiet wail. "Oh my god, *that* is what I have been doing since we met? Oh fuck... How long have I been doing that...?" William turns a bright red, his shoulders hunching slightly in embarrassment.  
Samuel hummed quietly, thinking back, "Since that first night in the casino's bar, actually." He said simply.  
William looks at Samuel, his face scrunched up halfway between horror and anger. "Samuel, what the fuck?! Why did you not tell me sooner?!" He said in a high voice.  
Samuel turned, hands raised in defense, "I *DID* tell you! Multiple times!"  
William's eyes went wide as his face went slack. He let out a strange gurgling screech before slamming his head down on the kitchen table. "Oh sweet science..." He says quietly. "Why do I do that?!"  
Samuel brought his fist up to hide his chuckle and walked over to the man, gentle rubbing his back comfortingly, "Because you have so many wonderful thoughts in your head that sometimes some things just slip out?" He wondered aloud softly.  
William turns his head towards Samuel, his face still on the table. "I highly doubt that is the reason, but thank you for your praise." William pouts slightly as he looks up at Samuel. "Do you really think I have wonderful thoughts...?" He sniffed.  
Samuel smiled warmly, his eyes soft, "Of course I do, Will." He leaned down and kissed his head. "Wonderful, amazing, brilliant thoughts and ideas all up here." He lightly tapped his forehead before moving some hair away from his face.  
William smiles softly up at Samuel. "Thank you..." He giggles at Samuel. "You are an amazing man, Samuel..."  
Samuel grinned a bit, helping William sit up again, "I'm only as good as you perceive me. So.. thank you."  
William smiles at Samuel, then leans up towards him with grabby hands. "You are too tall!" William exclaims.  
Samuel blinked before chuckling, leaning over and pressing his forehead against William's, "Maybe you're just too short." He snickered.  
William pouts, wrapping his arms around Samuel's neck. "Both?" He asks, leaning up, their noses now touching.  
Samuel pretended to think about it for a moment, humming out before softly gazing into William's bright green eyes, "Both." He replied with a nod, leaning forward and pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.  
"Both is good." William sighs against Samuel's mouth with a smile.  
Samuel grinned softly, deepening their kiss.  
William moves his hands down to Samuel's hips, pulling him down into his lap with a smile.  
Samuel smirked, spreading his legs so he would rest his feet on the floor behind the chair.  
William frowned into the kiss, pulling back to look at Samuel's feet flat on the floor whilst the tips of his own feet barely touched the floor. "Motherfucker..." William mutters before resuming the kiss.  
Samuel snickered, "You know you love it." He purred thickly before tilting his head and kissing the shorter man deeper.   
William groaned at the taller man, opening his mouth. William licks into Samuel's mouth as he starts to trace figures and signs into Samuel's hips with his fingers.  
Samuel slid his tongue into William's mouth, slowly mapping out and exploring the area, reveling in the taste of him. A small shiver running up his spine from the gentle touches.  
William smiles, pulling away slightly. "Did you have anything you needed to do today?" He asks slyly.  
Samuel kept close to the man, leaning forward so their chests pressed together, "Unless you need me to do anything." He said lowly, pecking the other man's lips a few times before kissing his forehead, cheeks, and making his way down to William's neck- which was still sensitive from last night's antics.  
William grinned. "I don't have a damn thing planned to do today." William paused, looking down at Samuel with hooded eyes. "Well, except you, that is."  
Samuel smirked to himself as he started to nip and bite at William's neck again, finding empty areas to leave his mark.  
William started to breathe a little heavier as Samuel bit at his neck. William started to wiggle his hips a little in anticipation.  
Samuel pulled back a bit from the man's neck, breath thick as he spoke, "Keep still." He warned the man.  
William swallowed visibly, his hips stilling suddenly. "O-okay..." He stutters out.  
Samuel smirked down at him, purring lowly, "That's a good boy." He suddenly leaned forward and bit down harshly on the other side of William's neck, drawing a bit of blood in the process. Easing up a bit to suck and lick the blood away.  
William moaned loudly at the breaking of skin, his breath starting to come out in his pants. William tilted his head, allowing Samuel to literally attack his neck.  
Samuel went painfully slow as he started to grind against William. His hands resting at his back as he dragged his nails down his skin, not drawing blood but leaving some nasty red marks.  
William groaned at the contact, arching his back. "Oh sweet science, Beanpole... You going to fuck me again, or are you just going to keep teasing me?" William managed. He was starting to salivate slightly, his mouth open in a wide, stupid grin.  
Samuel smirked coldly at him, pulling away entirely from the man's form, sliding his hands into his back pockets and walked away. With his shoulders squared back, some of his scarred stretched out, mussels seeming more evident. "I believe that was up to you, short stack." He cooed out, walking into the other room.  
William growled, his eyes going dark. He got up out of the chair, stalking after Samuel. William grabbed his shoulder roughly, spinning him around and grabbing him around the neck. "Really? Fucking really?!" He snarls at Samuel.  
Samuel didn't flinch, he merely turned and smirked down at the man, "What?" He purred, brushing some hair from the obviously enraged man.  
William smashed his lips against Samuel's, squeezing his neck harder. William bit down on Samuel's bottom lip, but not hard enough to draw blood. William's other hand went to Samuel's hip, pulling him flush against the smaller man.  
"Mmph!" Samuel gasped out at his motions, trying hard to hold back his moan as the man's forcefulness. "Damn William." He sighed out, all too comfortably.  
William narrowed his eyes, pulling back as he squeezed Samuel's neck harder. "You sound a little too comfy there for someone so willing to leave me *wanting* ." William spat out angrily. William's hand reached down to grab a handle of Samuel's ass.  
Samuel's eyes went wide as his windpipe got blocked from his grip, "W-William!" His hands went to the man's arm to try and pull him off. "It was a tease- ack!" He gasped out, "I was g-going to come ba-ack! GOD!" He shoved William back and tenderly held his neck, coughing and sputtering out.  
William crossed his arms, blinking rapidly. "F-fuck... Sorry..." He muttered sincerely as he partially turned away. "I do not know what came over me... Apologies..."  
Samuel slowly regained his breath, coughing again as he kept his body from shaking. "I-It's okay.. It's okay.." He said quietly. "M-Maybe we should.. do something else for a while, yeah?" He asked softly, his hand still tenderly against his own throat, small bruises forming where William's hand gripped.  
William ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he turned towards the stairs. "Y-yeah... I am going to go get dressed..." William mumbled, heading upstairs.  
Samuel nodded slowly, going over and taking a seat on the couch. He hasn't been threatened like that since.. His mouth went dry as he swallowed, trying to regain himself.  
William sighed shakily as he enters his room, slamming the door behind him. "What the fuck is wrong with me...?" William asks quietly. William takes a deep breath, then goes to take his clean shirt out of the closet and put it on.  
Samuel breathed out, running a hand through his hair and pulling it back into his usual low pony tail.  
William finished dressing, padding back downstairs with a red face and holding a neatly folded pile of Samuel's clothes. He was now fully dressed in his usual array. "Is there anything in particular you had in mind?" William refused to look at Samuel as he handed the younger man his clothes.  
Samuel glanced up at him, nodding as he took the clothes from him, "Thank you. Ah, is there any more repairs you need me to do around the house, perhaps?" He asked, slipping his shirt on over his shoulders and buttoning it up.  
William shook his head, slipping his hands into his pockets. "No, I do not... Your help was very much appreciated... Mister Samuel..." William was still looking at his shoes, the ceiling, the walls, the floor; anywhere but Samuel's face.  
Samuel's heart twinged in pain, he quickly pulled on his pants but left his suspenders dangling at his sides, "Will..?" He started softly, standing up.  
William backed up slightly, still not looking at Samuel. "I am very sorry for my actions... I know you have no reason to forgive me, for I have no reason to be forgiven." William's eyes momentarily met Samuel's, dull and slightly watery, before quickly looking back away.  
"H-Hey, William." Samuel said a bit more firmly, walking up to the man and hesitantly cupping William's soft face in his hands, "You did nothing wrong.." He said softly, eyebrows slightly knit close, "You just.. startled me is all. I'm okay, really. Look at me." He gently lifted the mans face so he could look him in the eye with a tender smile, "See? I'm alright." He tilted his head a bit, soft grin still on his face.  
William's eyes started to tear up slightly at Samuel's words, now unable to tear his eyes away from Samuel. "I just- fuck- I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do anything and-"  
Samuel quietly hushed the smaller man, shaking his head, "You did nothing wrong, William." He said, pressing their foreheads together, "I promise you, I'm okay." He gently ran his thumbs over the older man's cheeks, swiping away a few tears that had fallen.  
William shook his head. "It's not okay... The thoughts that went through my mind were not as amazing and beautiful as you think..." William trails off, his shoulders starting to shake. His hands were still shoved deep in his pockets as if in restraint.  
Samuel bit his lip as he pulled the smaller man into a tight hug, "Shh shh shh, it's alright William. It's okay.." He carefully ran his fingers through his partner's dirty-blond locks, muttering soft, kind words to him, "Nobody is perfect, love... We're only human and sometimes we.. can't control what crosses our minds when we feel something." He tenderly rubbed the other's back, careful about the marks he made there earlier.  
William started to cry quietly, unsure of what was happening. 'Why isn't he *angry* ? Why is he so calm? Why is he being so gentle with me? I wanted to *hurt him* , but he doesn't seem to *care at all* ...' William tipped his head downwards, leaning ever so slightly against Samuel's chest as tears fell freely off his cheeks. William sniffled slightly, bringing an arm up to wipe at his face. ' *Great, he must think I'm a baby now* '  
Samuel didn't reply to William at first, knowing that he was thinking aloud once more. He just stood there and held the man close to him, crying to calm the other down by humming a quiet tune and running a hand through his hair evenly, combing it out gently. "Will..." He started quietly, "You.. You're not a baby.. you're just somebody who has been fighting for so long and you just don't want to anymore. Even for just a little while..." He hugged him a bit tighter, "It's okay to cry.. No matter who you are or where you come from. We're only human.." Those were the words his mother told him once a seeming life time ago.  
William froze suddenly, staring into the empty space behind Samuel as he was hugged. William laughed quietly, his eyes wide open and still streaming. "Fuck... I did it again, didn't I?" He asked softly, still confusedly laughing and crying.  
William pressed his lips together, wiping his face again. "What?"  
Samuel gave him a soft, kind smile, "Your beautiful mind is thinking of so many amazing ideas, it can't hold it all. So things slip out when your heart wants to reach out to the world." He leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to William's forehead.  
William presses his palms into his eyes, his shoulders drawn up to his ears. "My mind isn't beautiful, it is revolting and deplorable. I literally eviscerate people with no remorse, then expect others to think the same!" William cries out, staring at Samuel with wild eyes. "I am human, yes, but only by the very loosest definition!"  
Samuel gentle held William's face in his hands, "Shh shh shh, easy love, easy.." He cooed softly, "Will, William listen to me." He carefully pulled the smaller man's hands away from his face again to look him in the eye.  
William looked at Samuel, half-delirious. "Wha-what?"  
Samuel gently kissed his forehead, wiping away his tears once again, "Yes.. Maybe you can't change who you are.. but that doesn't matter. Because what I see.. Hah, I see a curious, brave, and brilliant man. One who is willing to do anything for those he loves, no matter what the cost. And you don't see that in many out there. You are remarkable, kind.. Damnit, William. I... I love you so much. And nothing will ever change that."  
William froze, his eyes going wide as his mouth drops open. "Y-you... You really...?" William half-smiled. "Oh science, I am stupid for thinking otherwise! I am sorry for my irrational behaviour...  
Samuel shook his head, a small smile growing across his face, "Don't say sorry. Don't you ever." He kissed William's nose then lightly pecked his lips, "Of course I love you, Will. What is there not to love?"  
William smiles up at Samuel. "A lot of things, to be honest... But I guess I am just not very used to being complimented sincerely, or in a way NOT trying to get me in bed with them..." William trailed off, his smile fading slightly.  
Samuel chuckled quietly, rubbing his thumb against his cheek, "I know what you mean." He grinned softly, pulling the man into another tight hug.  
William sighed softly, hugging the taller man back.  
Samuel rested his cheek against William's head, quietly sighing out in small relief and joy. "God, I love you so much."  
William slowly relaxed in Samuel's embrace. "Did you truly want to do anything today?"  
Samuel kissed his head and shrugged, "I'm not sure. I guess it would depend on the doing we're going to." He chuckled softly.  
William feels his face grow slightly warm, looking down at the ground behind Samuel. "Do you WANT to continue what we started in the kitchen...?" William asked hesitantly.  
Samuel sighed softly, "If it's alright with you?" He cracked a small grin. "Though, perhaps we should do that later, eh?"  
William nodded. "Alright... Are you going back to the casino now, then?"  
Samuel shook his head, "No way." He ran his hands down the man's sides and let them rest on William's hips casually. "Maybe I could clean up the kiddo's rooms before they get here at the end of the week? Chris' room at least looked like it hadn't been touched once in years."  
William rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah... It never crossed my mind that they would not be back for seven years, so I have not touched their rooms since they left..."  
Samuel chuckled, "It's alright. I can clean them up spotless." He grinned, kissing William's forehead. "Point me to where the cleaning supplies are."  
William nodded over to the closet. "There should be a dust pan, broom and mop in there."  
Samuel smiled brightly, squeezing the man's hips lightly before slowly letting go and heading over, grabbing out a bucket and mop as well as a duster and pan. "I'll do Chris' room first, then Cherry's if there's still time in the day." He mused to mostly himself.  
William nodded again. "Will you need any assistance?"  
Samuel shrugged, "If you want to. You don't have to."  
William sighed, walking over and flopping down on the couch with a slight wince. "Oh sweet science, last night is *definitely* catching up to me..." William grumbles, leaning his head on the back of his couch, his arms thrown over the back.  
Samuel snickered quietly as he walked past, "Glad to see I had a lasting effect." He laughed out as he made his way upstairs.  
Samuel entered Chris' old bedroom and looked around, surveying what he was getting himself into. A few papers littered the floor, dust covered pretty much everything, the desk was cluttered, spiderwebs in almost every corner of the room, and the bedding looked like it could use a good wash as well. Welp. Time to set to work.  
William is now dead asleep on the couch.  
After a few hours of dusting all the crud onto the floor, Samuel swept it all up and into the trash before mopping and wiping down all the surfaces to get the last of it. Wiping his brow, Samuel made his way over to the little desk tucked in the corner, little drawings and crayons covering it. He smiled and picked up a few of the drawings. Little machines and robots, a crude drawing of William going to the moon in a rocket ship, and another drawing of William and what he could assume was Chris and Cherry. Samuel smiled to himself, neatly stacking the drawings off to the side and putting the loose crayons back into the little cup... Before taking out a new sheet of paper and scribbling out, "Welcome Home!" With a little smiley face off to the side. He didn't know why, but he thought it would be a nice touch.  
William snored lightly, jolting awake suddenly. "Wha...? What time is it...?" He groaned aloud, rubbing his face in his hands.  
As Samuel was about to head out of the now clean room, dragging the dusty blankets and sheets behind himself in a wad, he accidentally knocked a box off the shelf, causing gears and cogs to go flying all over the floor. Samuel cursed under his breath as he started to quickly pick them up again.  
William looked up, hearing a small thump from Chris' room. 'Oh, he must still be cleaning...' William stood up, shuffling upstairs and into Chris' room with a yawn. "What is all the commotion..?" William yawned again, wiping his eyes.  
Samuel quickly scooped them the sharp little gears and metal bits and shoveled them into the old shoe box. Putting the lid back on it and setting it back on the edge of the desk where it was.  
William frowned at Samuel, confused, before a surprised look overtook his face as he looked around the room. "Science almighty, the room is spotless!" William exclaimed, the tiredness still not quite dispelled from his voice and features.  
Samuel blinked rapidly and looked over at William, "Heh, well it's better than going back and doing it twice." He grinned softly, "Thank you." He walked over to the smaller man and kissed his forehead, "You look tired."  
William nodded slightly, yawning again. "I have only just woken up... What time is it?" He asked.  
Samuel looked over at the clock in the hallway, "If that clock is right, it's about 11:30."  
William raised an eyebrow. "I did not realise I slept for so long... Well, since I am up I may as well help you with Cherry's room, assuming you are finished in here...?"  
Samuel nodded, "Yeah I'm done cleaning. I'm just going to beat the dust from their sheets outside when I'm done with both of their rooms." He grinned down at him, "You can help if you want to."  
William nodded. "I would prefer to help, especially with Cherry's room. Who knows where her traps are!" William exclaims, walking out of the room to go to Cherry's.  
Samuel rose an eyebrow at that, "Traps..?" He asked, following him.  
Samuel rushed over to see William on the floor, his feet snared in a rope trap. He held back a small snicker.  
William groaned, reaching over to undo his feet. "I forgot I even taught her how to make a rope snare..." William mumbles under his breath. He stands up, taking a single step forward before a dagger shoots out, impaling itself inches from William's face.  
Samuel pulled William back by his shoulders. "Let me try something." He muttered, taking off his shoe and tossing it into the middle of the room, where a bucket of marbles were released onto the floor along with an axe flying through the closet and hitting a crude drawing of William in the face on the far end of the wall. Samuel blinked a few times. "Holy shit.." He slowly reached down and took off his other shoe, throwing it onto the bed- which folded itself in half and triggered another trap which released a bow and arrow to shoot out from under the bed and impale itself into the wall besides the door. "... I ain't going in there, mate."  
William sighed. "Well , we may as well just leave her room to its original state. I do not want to find out how many more traps she stuck around her room. Who knows how many of her weapons she used!" William chuckled a bit before crossing his arms, walking back out of the room.  
Samuel blinked a few times, thinking to himself, 'I'm really gonna miss that pair of shoes.' before going to catch up with William, "Hold up, how the HELL did she even GET all of that?"  
William shrugged, walking into his room and removing his shoes. "Some she made, some she found, some I bought for her. I found it is not very hard to buy weapons. They are even easier to bargain for than chemicals."  
Samuel blinked a few times, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You gave- no, you BOUGHT her and LET her make her own WEAPONS? Did it EVER occur to you that, oh I dunno, that might be *DANGEROUS* ??"  
William raised an eyebrow at Samuel. "It is not like I gave them to her with no warning or preparation. I taught her how to properly use each weapon, how much force one would need to incapacitate someone with access to only certain parts of the body, and how to use her stature and strength to her advantage." William sighed wistfully. "My favourite was teaching her how to use a butterfly knife!" William cracked a small smile, staring off into space.  
Samuel stared at the shorter man, not sure what to say or feel about this. So.. he let it go with a shrug. "So you really know your stuff then, eh? Who taught you?"  
William shrugged. "I taught myself at a young age. I *did* go to a juvenile detention facility during my early teen years, however, due to an incident involving a revolver and another hooligan..." William tapped his chin thoughtfully.  
"Do I even want to know?" Samuel asked a bit flatly as he bent over to pick up the blankets and sheets he left in the doorframe of Chris' room.  
William shook his head. "No, you do not." William sat down on his bed, leaning back on his hands. "So now that the rooms are, well, mostly, clean, what shall we do?"  
"Welp, I was thinking about beating the shit out of these blankets to get the dust off, then maybe cleaning up the backyard a bit?" He said with a shrug. "I dunno, it's something."  
William flopped backwards onto the bed with a sigh. "Alright, well, I will be here, then."  
Samuel paused and turned, walking over to the bed and planting a quick kiss to William's lips before heading out the bedroom door and making his way down stairs.  
William giggled quietly, sitting back up to remove his jacket and vest. 'We most likely will not be going anywhere today, anyway...' He hung the clothing back up in the closet before jumping onto the bed face first, causing the him to bounce a few times before settling.  
Samuel headed out to the yard, realizing he didn't pick up the tiles he tossed down from fixing the roof, and hung the blanket up on a clothes drying line. The tall man quickly picked up the molded and falling apart roof shingles and set them on the little porch by the back door, picking up a stick and walking over, starting to beat the dust out of the thick comforter blanket.


	6. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cherry is about 5'9" with long, pinkish-red hair and seafoam green eyes. Chris is 5'7" with short, messy, silver hair and electric blue eyes. ((In case it hasn't already been established, Samuel is 6'6" with long, black hair usually pulled into a low ponytail and amber-yellow eyes. William is 5'6" with almost-shoulder-length dirty blonde hair and neon green eyes.))

About a week later or so, Samuel had been staying over at William's house in order to help him prepare for Chris and Cherry's arrival. The taller man had worn himself to the bone working, but he was glad to do it. It really seemed to pick William out of a seeming long and deep rut he had been in for a while. It really brought a smile to the man's face to see the smaller one feeling a lot better than when they first met.  
William bustles past Samuel, a nervous look on his face. He has his pointer finger in his mouth, biting lightly on the side of the first knuckle as he turns around, quickly walking the other direction.  
Samuel looks up from his book he was reading on one of the chairs in the living room, "William?" He called out, "Is something the matter?" He set his book on the small table and got up, following after the smaller man.  
William pauses his pacing momentarily. "Wha-What if they are not the same as they were? Cherry and Chris should be approximately twenty now... What if they do not agree with my experiments...?"  
Samuel reached out and clasped his hands on the mans shoulders, "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. You hear me?" He looked the man in the eye, "Sure, people change, but they're still your kids." He tried a soft smile, "Then just don't tell them."  
William shook his head. "It is not as if I can just NOT tell them! But you are right..." William closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "They should be arriving within the next half hour or so, yes?"  
Samuel smiled softly, pressing a kiss to the smaller man's forehead, "Yeah, just a while longer. Perhaps you should try relaxing a bit?"  
William let out a sigh, nodding slightly. "Y-yes... I just need to sit down for a moment..." William walked over to the couch, plopping down on it. He leaned his head back on the couch, closing his eyes.   
Samuel quietly followed behind, sitting at the end of the couch with William, putting his legs on his lap. He smiled over at William and comfortingly rubbed his leg. "Everything is going to be fine. Dinner is almost done, and the kiddos should be here soon. All will be well."  
William tilted his head slightly to look at Samuel, smiling slightly. "You are right, I am being silly with all my worrying." William leaned over, giving Samuel a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you, Samuel, for everything."  
Samuel lightly kissed him back with a smile, "Anything for you, love." He mused quietly.  
William smiled genuinly, placing his forehead against Samuel's. "You truly are the best, Samuel... I have no idea what I would do without you."  
Samuel closed his eyes, pressing his head against William's, "Probably be drinking at the casino again." He chuckled softly before kissing his nose, "No," He shook his head, "I don't know what I would do without you, love."  
William chuckled quietly, wrapping his arms around Samuel's neck. "I love you so much..." He whispered, pressing a tender kiss to Samuel's lips.  
Samuel whispered back, "I love you to, Will." He replied before kissing him back softly. Tilting his head a bit and pulling the man closer.  
William smiled into the kiss, allowing Samuel to take the lead.   
Slowly, Samuel pulled away from the kiss, chuckling softly when William leaned forward some more, so he placed a soft peck on his lips once more.  
William smiled wider, giggling a bit. A knock was suddenly heard on the door. William jumped visibly, whipping his head towards the door. "They have arrived!" William exclaims, trying not to throw Samuel off his lap.  
Samuel let go of William and let him jump up and run to the front door. He smiled widely and headed into the kitchen to check and see how everything was doing.  
William flung the front door open with a grin, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Cherry and Chris. "Oh Science, you two are so big now!" He exclaimed excitedly as he pulled them both into a bear hug. He pulled back slightly, his hands on their outer shoulders. "Come in, come in! Samuel is just finishing up dinner, and there should be plenty for everyone!"  
Chris hugged him back earnestly while Cherry just kinda hung there, but smiled a bit.   
"It's soooo good to see you, dad!" Chris exclaimed as he walked in along with Cherry, who kept to herself and looked around the house, "Huh. You haven't burned this dump down yet." She said flatly.  
William nodded enthusiastically, leading the way into the kitchen. "Well I haven't needed to test anything with fire yet, so no the house has not burnt down yet." William sat down at the table happily, looking expectantly at Chris and Cherry. "So tell me; how have you two been? It has been a little more than seven years since I last saw the two of you, so do not hesitate to leave out any details!"  
Chris laughed out, taking off his hat (that was Cherry's old hat that she used to wear) and hung it on the back of the chair where he used to sit, while his 'sister' took the one next to him. Same as always. "Where do we even start?" He looked over at Cherry and she shrugged, leaning back in her chair, but not propping her feet on the table.   
Chris cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, "Well.. I guess it started when we got back to the main organization house... Things have been a roller coaster from there." He grinned as he told the story of how they tried to transfer them around a few more times before finally kicking them out of the system entirely- but still keeping tabs on their whereabouts. They had been in and out of the state a few times, sometimes heading to the other side of the country, running. Meeting and losing people along the way, and how they ended up in a bit of a hobo camp on a nude beach somewhere in Florida. It's been a while ride for them both, but eventually, they came back home to settle a few personal things with their pasts- ending up renting an apartment and getting a few small jobs around the city.  
William smiled happily throughout their tale, laughing at some parts whilst frowning at others. When Chris had finished, he spoke up again. "So I heard you two will be heading for New York soon...?"  
Cherry nodded firmly, "Yeah. I'm taking up work at a pub, a few personal jobs, as well as perhaps modeling. And Chris is going to be a watchmaker's apprentice while selling his inventions and papers in his spare time." Chris nodded in confirmation, "Mhm. We're moving up a little bit. We're hoping to earn back some money we lost a while ago-" Cherry nudged his side and gave him a look, making him shut up.  
William raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in his chair slightly. "Making up lost money?" He asked, mildly suspicious as he crossed his arms on the table.  
Chris and Cherry looked at one another before Chris sighed, "Well we.. We got tangled into some bad stuff after we left your house and.. we had to make a lot of lones on the stuff..." Chris looked down, fiddling with the buttons on his worn vest and Cherry put a comforting hand on his shoulder as she spoke up, "Please don't be mad. We were young and stupid, okay?"  
William nodded knowingly. "I am not angry with you, I merely wish to know how much you owe." William glanced over at Samuel before looking back at the pair of siblings. "And who it is that you owe."  
The two young adults looked at each other nervously, Cherry answering since Chris looked on the verge of tears, "Over $200 worth." She said slowly. "And if we say we're in big trouble." She said coldly, narrowing her eyes at William, "So don't you dare get involved. This ain't your shit, old man." She cracked the smallest grin, but it only lasted for a blink of an eye.  
William grinned back. "Oh, well at least you two know whom it is that you owe, right?" William eyes flicked nervously towards Samuel, still oblivious to the conversation.  
They both nodded in unison, Chris' hands shaking under the table, "Very well." He said meekly.  
William looked between the two of them, confused. "...?"  
Cherry shook his head, "Nevermind that." She said, wanting to change the topic since it was making Chris uncomfortable, "What have YOU been doing? Suckin' dick?"  
"Yes." William said nonchalantly. "But enough about me, you still have not told me whom you owe."  
Cherry choked out laughing but it slowly died down at his serious face, "Oh.. you're still on about that." She stood up from her chair, "Look, William, it's none of your business. We're almost paid off anyway, so there's no need for you." The young woman braced on arm on the table while the other still held Chris' shoulder, squeezing it lightly, trying to give him comfort.  
William sighed. "Alright, well, you need to tell me if they start demanding more or blackmailing you." 'Already had to *deal with that...* '  
Cherry scoffed, "Excuse me? We don't have to deal with jackSHIT from you!"   
Chris piped up a little, "Sit down, Cherry. Don't start a fight now." He scolded and she slowly complied as Chris looked back to William, "We will, don't worry, dad." He smiled a little at him.  
William smiled softly. "Thank you Chris." William turned towards Samuel. "How much longer until the food is ready?" He asked.  
Samuel called back, "The ham still needs a little longer, but everything else is pretty much done!" He walked into the dining room and smiled over at Chris and Cherry. "Heh, so you're William's kiddos. He's told me so much about you both." He grinned widely at the young adults, holding out a hand. Chris smiled up at the tall man and shook his hand, "Pleasure to meet you, uh, Samuel, right?" He asked and Samuel nodded, walking over to Cherry to do the same, but she just slapped his hand away. He nodded in acknowledgement and walked back over to William's side.  
William frowned slightly at Cherry, before standing up with a smile. "Alright, well, whilst we are waiting for the ham to finish up, would you like to see your rooms? I helped Samuel clean them up a bit, and only managed to trigger a half dozen of your traps, Cherry!" William said.  
Cherry chuckled softly, "Heh, I almost forgot about those things. I'm glad they still worked." He smirked at the two older men, standing up along with Chris. There was a huge smile on the silver-haired boy, "Oh man, I've missed my old room. I had to leave so many of my trinkets behind when we left." He beamed and started up the stairs ahead of everyone.   
Samuel chuckled at the two, leaning over to talk to William as they headed upstairs, "Have they changed much?" He asked.  
William shook his head with a wistfully toothy grin. "Not one bit." William followed the others upstairs.  
Cherry flicked on her lightswitch and looked around the room, grinning at herself to see most of the traps were triggered, but everything else was in place. Perfect.  
Chris walked in and his gaze went strait to the roof, "You fixed the hole I made!"  
Samuel leaned against the door frame, "Yeah. *I* fixed it just last week. Just for you." He chuckled quietly.   
Chris blinked, "Dad had a hole in his roof for seven years? Hah, just like him." He shook his head, smiling.  
William rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Hehe, yeah, ahem." He looked down at the floor, a bit embarrassed.  
Both Chris and Cherry roamed around their rooms, memories flooding back to them both as they looked at their desks and shelves and beds. Chris opened the window and pushed it open, letting crisp fall air into the room, leaning against the rail.  
William watched the kids explore their rooms, then headed back downstairs to check on the food.  
Samuel waited before following the smaller man down, leaving the two to themselves.  
He walked up behind William in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his waist, "How are you doing?" Samuel asked softly.  
William sighed, leaning back into him slightly. "Perfect. A few things I learned were partially unexpected, but I am glad they are doing so well..." William trailed off, closing his eyes. "I just wish that they were not moving to New York so quickly..." He mumbled to himself.  
Samuel nodded, "I know, I know.. But at least you get to spend time with them before they go. And hey, they'll probably come back to the winter holiday." He kissed the man's head and held him close.  
William nodded slightly, turning around to hug Samuel. "Yes, hopefully they will." William reached up on his tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on Samuel's lips.  
Samuel smiled softly, leaning down and kissing him back softly.  
William smiled, pulling away slowly. He looked up at Samuel with affection. "EEEEWWWWWWW" could be heard from behind them as Chris and Cherry walked back into the kitchen. William jumped away from Samuel with a squeak, his face flushing red.  
Samuel brought a hand to his forehead and burst out laughing at the smaller man's leap.  
"AH- *HA* ! I KNEW YOU SUCKED DICK! I CALLED IT! Pay up, Chris!" Cherry yelled out as Chris grumbled and reached into his pocket and gave Cherry a $5 bill.  
William flushed even darker, covering his face in his hands. "Oh science..." He muttered.  
Chris walked over and patted his back, laughing nervously, "H-Hey, dad, it's okay. Cherry and I are totally cool with it."  
William slowly uncovered his face, lowering his hands slightly. "W-well we had better start eating dinner then, I bet it tastes delicious, doesn't it Samuel!" William exclaimed, his face red and his voice high.  
Samuel chuckled softly, nodding, "Yep! And it should be about done." Chris and Cherry whooped in approval. They haven't eaten a proper meal in months and they were starving- quickly taking their seats, the two of them smiled hopefully.  
William took a seat as well , his face slowly returning back to normal as he awaited the serving of food.  
After about a minute, Samuel started bring a few dishes of food to the table, setting plates in front of each of them and taking a seat by William, "Enjoy." He smiled brightly at the two young adult's jaws open in surprise.  
William smiled up at the others as they started to dig in ravenously. William picked up a fork and ate with the same vigour. "Amazing as always, Samuel!" William said between mouthfuls.  
Chris nodded excitedly as well, "This is amazing, Samuel! Thank you so much for making this." he smiled up at Samuel and the taller man nodded with a large smile in thanks, "Thank you, it was no problem at all."  
William smiled at Samuel, before soon finishing his food. He stood up, collecting his dishes and putting them in the sink before sitting back down, staring out the window at the now setting sun. "Thank you Samuel, for helping out so much." He said with a smile.  
Samuel smiled and nodded, "Hey, it's the least I could do."  
William smiled shyly. "Thank you anyway. You have been a tremendous help all week."  
Samuel smiled back, "Anything for you."  
Cherry made a gagging noise and Chris snickered behind his fist.  
William flushed slightly at the siblings' actions, looking at his hands.  
Samuel glared at them, "What's your problem?"   
Chris shut up and nervously looked at Cherry. With a smug look, she shrugged and went back to eating quietly. Chris bit his lip before speaking up, "S-Sorry, Samuel."  
The taller man rose and eyebrow before continuing to eat himself. The table fell into an awkward silence.  
William waited patiently as the others soon finished their food, picking up their plates and placing them in the sink to wash up.  
William waited patiently as the others soon finished their food, picking up their plates and placing them in the sink to wash up.  
William perked up slightly at that. "Well, I have recently begun centring my experiments on how the human body reacts towards the vacuum of space. I have mostly mapped out the layout of the human body for both males and females, as well as how each part reacts under certain amounts of pressure!" William's eyes sparkled with excitement  
Chris perked up as well, "Oh wow! That's incredible! Do you think we could go down to the lab? I've been wanting to test a few things for a while now." He said excitedly as Cherry stood up, "You do you, boo. I'm going to bed." She as she headed upstairs, not even saying good night to any of them.  
William nodded excitedly, standing up from the table. He looked over at Samuel. "Would you like to join us, or follow Cherry's lead?"  
Samuel hesitated but nodded, "I think I'll join you two." He smiled a bit nervously.  
"Fantastic!" Chris cheered, hopping up from his seat and heading towards the lab.  
William followed Chris happily, smiling widely at Samuel before catching up to Chris. As they reached the lab, William opened the door to reveal the lab to Chris.  
Chris quickly, almost childlike, laughing excitedly before going in to explore all the new equipment. But before William could go in, Samuel pulled him aside.  
William raised an eyebrow at Samuel. "Yes?"  
Samuel lowered his voice, "Remember what we talked about..? Just.. don't show him anything gory, okay?" He said gently, lightly brushing some hair from William's face.  
William chuckled slightly. "Alright, I promise." William gave Samuel a quick peck on the lips before going into the lab, babbling science nonsense and specifications with Chris.  
Samuel hung back by the enterence, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a slight smile on his face. Damn, he was sure right about that kid being smart.  
"Okay so, I remember what you said about how the human body can't take the lack of pressure in space, so I have this idea for the pressurized chamber! That way, the people in the vacuum chamber won't, ya'know, implode."  
William nodded. "That is indeed correct, continue."  
"Well, I propose that if we, ah, I don't know how to explain it, um-" He pulled out a piece of paper and started doing a quick sketch of his idea. "If we just.. and a little bit of this.. And we pump air into it.. Here!" He tapped the pencil on the paper before showing the somewhat sloppy sketch to his adoptive dad.  
William looked over the sketch approvingly. "So similar to a diving suit, then?" William tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That may just work... I wonder if space is all that different from being underwater...?" He mused.  
Chris shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure. But by your calculations, it could just be." He smiled brightly, "But we have to make sure the air inside of it stays constant, otherwise, much like a diving suit, it could crush the person inside.." He shuddered at the thought.  
William nodded again with a grimace. "Yes, that would be the very opposite of ideal... However if this idea was to be correct, it puts a tad bit of a block on my research... I cannot quite recall how far down we have reached in the ocean..." William looked down at the sketch again. "But it truly is an ingenious idea. For all we know, space could indeed have the same effects as the pressure in the ocean!"  
Chris' electric blue eyes seemed to light up at the approval, "Thanks! Well, we could always find out at another time, yeah?" He set the sketch aside with some of William's other drawings, "I mean, you don't know until you try it out for yourself!"  
William nodded with a smile. "Absolutely! Did you have anything else you wanted to see?" He asked, leaning on the surgical table slightly.  
Chris looked around the lab in awe, "You certainly have been busy.." That's when his eye caught sight of a large tin tucked up on a shelf, "No way." He chuckled a bit, going over and pulling down the old, wore cookie tin. He opened it up to see all of the small tinker toys he had made back in the day. "I can't believe you kept all these!"  
William rubbed the back of his neck. "Ha, yes indeed I did... I could not bear to get rid of them!" William chuckled slightly as Chris marvelled at the old tinker toys, turning them over in his hands.  
Chris walked over to one of the empty tables and dumped them out. Some of them had wind-up keys and gears, while others were made up of lightbulbs and wires. He picked one up and flicked on the switch, the small lightbulb turning on as it started to roll around on a wheel. Chris laughed, his eyes alight with child-like wonder.  
Samuel finally got curious and walked over, mouth almost dropping open at the little trinkets. "Woah.."  
William chuckled slightly at Samuel's expression. "Damn right, he's a genius." William giggled under his breath.  
Chris started turning each tinker toy on one by one. Each of them doing something different than the last. One hopped around like a kangaroo while another one spun around like a ballerina.  
Samuel picked one up that looked like a mouse and it hopped in his hand, "Where did you learn to do this..?" He asked, completely in awe.   
Chris shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno. It just kinda.. comes to me." He pulled the string on another and it flew up from his hand and traveled around the room.  
William pokes at the one that flew before it could run into his head. "I helped him only a smidgen, but his ability is almost completely natural."  
Samuel shook his head and put the mouse down, "You're incredible. Both of you."   
Chris' eyes lit up, "Thank you, Samuel." He smiled a bit as he started to turn each of them off and carefully put them back in the tin.  
William smiled at Samuel, helping Chris put the toys away. "Well, I believe that we should all follow Cherry's lead and go to bed after this."  
Chris rubbed his eye and nodded, "Yeah probably. It's been a while since sleep was actually a thing, you know?" He chuckled to himself and held the tin close, "Would it.. be alright if I took these to my room?"  
William nodded. "Of course! They are yours, after all." William smiled, covering his mouth as he yawns. William headed towards the door, holding it open for the other two.  
Chris nodded before wrapping an arm around William in a half-hug, "Thanks dad." He pulled away and smiled at them both before heading off to his room, "Good night."  
William smiled at Chris, giving a slight nod of his head. William turns towards Samuel. "Shall we head off to bed as well?" He asks.  
Samuel yawned and stretched it arms a bit before letting them hang at his sides, "Sounds like a plan." He smiled down at William, kissing his head and heading out of the lab.  
William flushed slightly as he follows Samuel upstairs, closing the door behind him as he walks in the bedroom. He walks over to the closet, carefully unbuttoning his vest and shirt, hanging them up.  
Samuel followed William's lead and folded up his clothes and set them ontop of the dresser before climbing into bed.  
William changes into his bottoms, hanging the trousers up in his closet before climbing into bed next to Samuel, curling up at Samuel's back. He wraps an arm around Samuel's waist, moving his hair aside before pressing a light kiss to the back of his neck.  
Samuel smiled a bit at the smaller man's actions, turning over to face him and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Good night, Will." He said softly, wrapping his arms around him protectively.  
William smiles. "Goodnight Samuel." He shuts his eyes, shifting closer to Samuel.


	7. Love Me Like You Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW, so ye be warned.  
> Also, a bit of a shorter chapter.

-the next morning-  
Samuel slowly opens his eyes when sunlight hit his face. "Mm.." He shut them tight before blinking them open. The taller man looked down at William, smiling a bit to himself as he nuzzled his nose into the smaller man's hair.  
William presses his face into Samuel's chest, pressing a chaste kiss to the scar on his collarbone. "Mornin'." He mumbles.  
Samuel yawns out loudly, pulling William close, "Moring, love." He replied softly.  
William smiles, shifting up to press a soft kiss to Samuel's lips.  
Samuel tilted his head down and softly kissed him back, his golden eyes closing slowly.  
William runs his tongue along Samuel's lower lip with a smirk, bringing a hand up to cup the back of his neck.  
Samuel was taken a back by this for a moment but slowly opened up, sliding his tongue out to meet William's in the kiss.  
William deepened the kiss, rolling them over slightly so that William was on top of Samuel.  
Samuel gasped a bit at the shift, looking up at William as he rests his hands on the man's hips.  
William pulls away slightly, smiling at Samuel as he puts both hands on either side of Samuel's face. He rests his forehead against Samuel's pressing another kiss to Samuel's lips.  
Samuel closed his eyes but quickly pulled away, "Wait, wait," He whispered out, "The kids are still here!"  
William chuckled slightly, his eyes going dark. "They left for breakfast twenty minutes ago, saying they would not be back for another hour or so." William trails little kisses across Samuel's jaw, lightly sucking on his neck.  
A shiver ran up Samuel's spine as William kissed his neck, "A-Alright then.." He got out, lightly squeezing the smaller man's hips.  
William pulls back looking up at Samuel with a smile, his eyes half-hooded. "That means we have an hour to ourselves..." William says, his hips moving slightly against Samuel's as he goes back to nibble at Samuel's neck.  
"God, Will.." He breathed out, biting his lip.  
William smiles against his neck, moving back over to kiss Samuel again. He grinds a little harder against Samuel as he kisses him.  
Samuel kissed him back earnestly, holding back a soft moan as he wrapped on of his legs around William's.  
William groans as he is pushed closer to Samuel, rewarding him with a hard roll of his hips.  
Samuel groaned out with pleasure, "D-Damn.." He tried to keep his own hips from bucking up as he moved his hands and gripped the sheets at his sides.  
William pauses, sitting up so that he is now straddling Samuel as he continues his previous actions. He bites his lip slightly.  
Samuel tilted his head back and let out a breath, "Fffuck.." He moaned out quietly as he rolled his hips against William's.  
William leans his head against his chest, looking down. William stops, leaning down to brace his hands against Samuel's chest as he starts to pant slightly. His eyes shift up to Samuel's face, his head still down. "Do you... Would you like to continue...?" He asks hesitantly.  
Samuel looked up at him, eyes half-lidded, "Only if you want to, love." He reached a hand out and brushed some hair away, resting his hand on William's cheek. His heart was beating a million miles an hour, but he wanted William to be comfortable.  
Samuel looked up at him, eyes half-lidded, "Only if you want to, love." He reached a hand out and brushed some hair away, resting his hand on William's cheek. His heart was beating a million miles an hour, but he wanted William to be comfortable.  
William smiled at Samuel, shifting back before resting his hands on Samuel's hips. "Oh most definitely." He breathes out onto Samuel's crotch. William pulls down Samuel's boxers, his breath ghosting over the younger man as he looks up at Samuel.  
Samuel tilted his head back when he did so, pulling his hand away and gripping the sheets a bit above his head, "Damnit, Will.." He sighed out.  
William smiles crookedly, licking a stripe up Samuel's member before taking the head into his mouth. He keeps his eyes on Samuel's face as he works the man below him.  
Samuel gasped and bit his lip, holding himself still to not buck up into William's mouth.  
William continues, making sure to leave him nice and slick before he pulls away. William shimmies out of his own bottoms, sitting back up.  
Samuel let out a soft whine when he pulled away, looking up at the man with a pink tinted face. "W-Will..?"  
William paused momentarily, up on his knees above Samuel with a leg on either side of the younger man's slim hips. "Yes?" He asks, cocking his head slightly.  
Samuel knit his brows together, shaking his head, "N-Nothing.." He said quietly, biting his lip again as his gaze roamed over William's build a bit shyly.  
William stops, sitting back slightly. "What is the matter?" He asks, his brow furrowing.  
Samuel shook his head quickly, his voice on the edge of begging, "No no no- Don't, don't stop." He got out, his hands resting on the man's thighs.  
William smiles comfortingly down at Samuel, leaning down to kiss him briefly before sitting back up. He intertwines one hand with Samuel's positioning himself above Samuel before sinking down slowly.  
Samuel's back arched up as he squeezed his hand, "F-Fuck!" He groaned out softly.  
William seats himself fully on Samuel's lap, his chin against his chest as he holds Samuel's other hand as well. "Ha-haah..." William moans out as he adjusts, looking up at the ceiling as he starts to move slightly.  
Samuel moaned out quietly as he held the other's hands, "G-Good.. You're doing good, babe." He laughed softly as he tilted his head back into the pillow, pleasure washing over him.  
William giggles breathlessly as he slowly lifts himself up, falling back down with a loud moan. "Oh sweet science..." His head falls backwards as he repeats the action.  
The taller man couldn't hold back a moan as Willam kept falling onto him, "F-Fucking hell, Will..!" He groaned out, his nails lightly digging into the back of William's hands.  
William's jaw drops open as his actions speed up. "Fuuuck Samuel..." William moans out.  
Samuel grinned to himself, bucking his hips in time with William, groaning out at the blissful pain.  
William falls back down one last time, crying out as he comes. "S-Samuel!"  
Samuel finally releases inside of William, falling back against the sheets, his chest heaving as his face relaxed, "Damn, Will.." His lips tugged up into a smile, looking up at him, "So good."  
William pants loudly as he lifts his head slightly to look at him before getting up off Samuel and laying beside him. "I love you Samuel..." He murmurs, wrapping an arm around Samuel's chest.  
Samuel wrapped an arm around William's shoulders, holding him close, "I love you to, William." He said softly, kissing his forehead before slowly pulling away. "Wait here." He said quietly before getting up and going to the bathroom, coming back with a wet, warm washcloth. "Here." He said softly as he gently started to clean William up for him.  
Samuel wrapped an arm around William's shoulders, holding him close, "I love you to, William." He said softly, kissing his forehead before slowly pulling away. "Wait here." He said quietly before getting up and going to the bathroom, coming back with a wet, warm washcloth. "Here." He said softly as he gently started to clean William up for him.  
William sighs contentedly. "Thank you, but I would much rather prefer a shower..." William sits up, leaning on his arms.  
Samuel shrugged, cleaning himself before climbing back into bed, "Yeah, but I want cuddles first." He mused as he pulled the smaller man back down into a tight hug.  
William giggles. "Why can we not cuddle in the bath? I may prefer showers alone, but a bath would be nice..."  
Samuel perked up at the idea, "I like the sound of that." He said warmly, softly pecking his lips then his forehead, "Just, five minutes." He mumbles, nuzzling his face into the smaller man's neck.  
William nods, closing his eyes with content. "Alright..." He says, pulling the blanket up and over them. He starts to drift off slightly, shifting backwards and farther towards Samuel.  
Samuel smiled softly, tangling up their legs together as he wrapped his arms around William's middle, holding him close to his chest.  
William slowly drifted off to sleep, smiling as he pulled the blanket farther up to his neck, completely covering the two of them.  
Samuel noticed he was drifting off, so he closed his eyes as well and started to hum a soft tune.


	8. To Hell and Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of angst in this chapter and the next one, sorry. Don't hesitate to leave comments on how you feel about this whole thing, I really love feedback.

William sat up suddenly to laughter, he rubbed his face with one hand, looking to the door and seeing Cherry dying of laughter. William flushed a bright red. He looks down and seeing Samuel's arm sees around his waist, but his bottom half covered all the way up to the belly button by the thick comforter. William lets out a squeak, pulling the blanket up him a little farther as his face goes darker. "Get out!" He says in a high voice as Cherry laughs harder.  
Samuel quickly sat up as well and glared at them both, "Get out already!" He yelled at them, making them both scamper off howling still with laughter, mostly Cherry's laughter. and from down the hall they could hear her say, "See? Told ya they were gay! Pay up!"   
Samuel snarled at them talking, clutching the sheets beside William's hip.   
William covers his flushed face with both hands in embarrassment. "Oh my fucking..." He mutters.  
Samuel growled lowly, "Those fucking kids are gonna.." He let out some huffed air through his nose, "Didn't you raise them to have a LITTLE respect?"  
William's shoulders were at his ears. "Oh sweet science, they've never seen me with somebody before, "He continues to mutter to himself, pulling his knees up. "I don't even know if they have seen me with a woman, let alone a man."  
Samuel's rage dissipated at he looked at William curling up, "Hey, hey, shh shh shh, it's okay." He wrapped his arms around William, pulling the blanket more around him to make him feel more comfortable, "it.. It doesn't matter. They're just fuckin' kids. Well, sort of, but still. Their opinion really doesn't matter when it comes to this."  
William curls in on himself even tighter. "Their opinions matter... I am a terrible father... What was I thinking...?" William says almost imperceptibly.  
Samuel sighed softly, "You're not a terrible father, William. That's one thing I know. You raised these kids to survive, and they damn well did. Just.. look." He gentle made William look up at him, "No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. And if you want, I can go and talk to them."  
William starts to shake slightly. He pushes himself up, quickly going over to the closet and dressing himself.  
Samuel blinked but got up and did the same.  
William's eyes continue to be covered by his hair, still shaking slightly. He turns towards the door, as if to go out, but stops.  
Samuel walks up beside him, "Hey.. Are you okay..?" He asked quietly.  
William looked up at Samuel, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. His lip started to tremble slightly before he brought an arm up to wipe harshly at his eyes. "I-I am alright..." He sniffs slightly before walking out the door.  
Samuel could feel his heart shatter at the sight of William crying. Oh he was definitely going to talk to those two little brats. But he kept his rage hidden as he walked with William.  
William walked downstairs, his crying stopped by the time he reached the kitchen where Chris and Cherry sat in the kitchen. They were still snickering quietly. "H-how was your breakfast?" He asks quietly, heading to the sink to wash up the dishes from last night.  
Chris perked up, "It was pretty good. We brought you the left-overs if you want them." Chris moved the box to the center of the table, "They should still be warm." He said softly.   
Samuel walked up to the table and glared at both of the two kids, sitting down grudgingly. Chris went quiet, looking down while Cherry had a smug grin on her face.   
"So," She started, "Did you both sleep well enough?"   
Samuel narrowed his eyes, "Yes, quiet pleasantly, thank you." He replied, keeping his voice an almost deadly calm.  
William sits down at the table when he finishes putting the dishes in the drying rack. He opens up the small box, one corner of his mouth quirking up when he sees the French toast. "Thank you..." He says quietly, quickly getting up and grabbing a fork before sitting back down and starting to dig in.  
Chris nodded quickly, "I remember how much you liked it back then. I'm just glad that you still like now." He smiled a bit at William before pausing and sighing, "Dad.. We.. *I'm* sorry for walking in on you two earlier.. We were just checking to see if you were awake and.. well.." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, not daring to look up.  
"You better be damn sorry." Samuel muttered under his breath, making Chris flinch a bit.  
Cherry scoffed, "Okay? So what if we walked in after you two having sex? Big fucking woop." She said with a slight sneer. "I've walked in on Chris over here a dozen times."   
Chris' face went deep crimson, "CHERRY!!"   
"What?" She said with a scoff, "It's not a big fucking deal."   
"Watch your mouth, young lady." Samuel snarled.  
William flinched at the same time Chris did, hunching over slightly. His eating slowed down more and more as the conversation went on, eventually stopping. William stood up angrily at Samuel's outburst. "Calm. Down." He said, shaking slightly, his palms curling into fists against the table. "I..." William sat back down, his shoulders hunched even more. "Can you two please calm down...?" He asked quietly, looking between Cherry and Samuel with tears in his eyes.  
The two of them froze in place. Samuel's face softened while Cherry crossed her arms across her chest. Chris squirmed a bit in his seat, leaning over and quietly talking to Cherry, "Cherry, please.. Dad has been through a lot and-"   
Cherry cut his sentence short, "He is NOT my dad." She said before pushing back from the table and walking towards the living room, "I'm going home. You can join me whenever, Chris. I don't need this bullshit."  
William looked back down at the ground, nodding. His hair covered his eyes again. "A-alright... I-I-I hope you come vi-visit soon... Wil-ll you...?" He whispers.  
Cherry stopped in her tracks, going quiet, "... Soon." She replied quietly before heading out the door.  
But she didn't slam it.  
William looked up at Chris, wiping his eyes quickly. "Will you be leaving as well?" He asked quietly.  
Chris looked him in the eye and shook his head, "No way, dad. Cherry is... being a butt. I don't know what her deal is, but.." He sighed, resting his elbows on the table, "I'm not going anywhere." He tried a smile. "And.. Dad? If it helps.. I'm.. Bi as well." He glanced at Samuel a bit nervously, but the man kept quiet. "Cherry pokes fun at me for it and thinks it isn't a big deal but.. yeah." He sighed softly, looking back towards William. "I'm sorry she did that to you. Both of you."  
William looked up at Chris with a small smile. "It is... Alright, Chris... I am used to it by now..." William smiled a little wider at Chris. "You always were much calmer and more rational than your sister..." He said quietly. He looked over at Samuel. "Apologies for Cherry's... Volatile... Behaviour. It is... Best... To stay calm around her..."  
Chris nodded, "She's really a nice person when you get to know her! But.. yeah." He sighed, "She's one hell of a hand-full." He chuckled softly, which seemed to lighten the mood a bit.  
Samuel leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry for losing my temper. But god she has a mouth on her." He rolled his eyes and grinned, making Chris laugh, "You could say THAT gain."  
William chuckled nervously along with Chris. "You are both quite volatile, Samuel." William trailed off slightly, crossing his arms on the table in front of him before laying his head down on them.  
William chuckled. "What manor of 'dance parlour'?" He asked, sitting up slightly and propping his head up with one arm.  
"It's a basically a dance night club with a small bar off to the side. An old lady friend of mine took me once when I was stressed out. It's a pretty fun little joint!" He chirped happily. Chris fiddled with the buttons on his vest, "I-I dunno.. I don't think I'd have something really all that proper to wear to a place like that." He said meekly and Samuel looked over at him, "Do you need me to get you a new set of clothes? It wouldn't be any trouble." He said with a soft smile.  
William giggled quietly. "I believe that this 'dance parlour' may be a good idea..." He said. "What is its name?"  
Samuel brightened up a bit, "It doesn't have a name. It's more of an underground business."  
William's eyes got wide. "Does it happen to have, ah, entertainers...?" He asked hesitantly.  
Samuel shrugged, "I don't remember. It's been a while since I've been down there."  
"Sounds like fun!" Chris said excitedly, "I haven't been dancing in AGES. The last time Cherry and I went to a dance club, she got us both kicked out for starting a fist fight." He laughed a bit at the memory.  
William started to laugh. "I am now curious where specifically it is located, but I do believe there should not be a problem!" William stood up, walking over to the coat rack to grab his jacket. He put it on, turning towards the other two. "When will we be leaving?" He asked.  
Samuel shrugged, "Well, if we're going to get Chris something a bit nicer to wear, then probably now." He smiled a bit, "Though it doesn't get all that fun until later in the evening, so we have time." He stood up along with Chris, who was fiddling with his buttons again, "I-I hope it won't be too much trouble.."  
Samuel smiled at the boy, "Not one bit."  
William smiled between Samuel and Chris. "It is settled, then. We will first purchase a good set of clothes for Chris, then go to this 'dance parlour'!" William exclaimed excitedly. "But first, we all need to take showers, some more than others." He looks pointedly at Chris.  
Chris looked playfully offended, "Excuse you! I bathed two days ago!" Chris crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed, "Unbelievable."  
William raised an eyebrow at Chris. "Well then I shall take the first shower then." He started upstairs.  
Samuel and Chris were left to chat. They mostly talked about what sort of styles of clothes and music they were both into and such. It was quite pleasant.  
William came back down some time later, fully dressed again but with slightly damp hair.  
Samuel grinned at Chris, "You're up, little man." He grinned, making Chris roll his eyes with a small smirk, "Yeah yeah, whatever." The silver-haired boy replied before heading up.  
William chuckled as he sat down beside Samuel. "What were you two discussing whilst I was showering?" He asked.  
"Ah, just what type of clothes we should search for him while shopping and his favorite types of music." Samuel replied with a soft smile, "You raise quite a romantic, if I might say."  
William shook his head. "He's been a hopeless romantic since I first met him. You should have seen him when he was ten! He attempted to serenade his beau at the time with a single rose and a tinker toy!" William smiled wistfully, swinging his arm over the back of the couch and tilting his head back.  
Samuel chuckled and shook his head, "Oh man. I gotta admit that kid has a bit of style. He just needs to channel it a bit better." He snickered softly, leaning back into the armchair that had become his favorite for reading on quiet days.  
William smiled, closing his eyes. "I merely let him express himself in whichever way he wanted, so if he wants direction then so be it." William sighs, looking up at the ceiling. "Does this club of yours happen to be on Ford Road?" He asks, looking at Samuel.  
"Heh, I wish I had you as a father." Samuel muttered softly, smiling all the same, "I believe so, yeah. Why do you ask?"  
William leaned forward, snickering slightly as he covers his mouth. He takes one look at Samuel's confused face before bursting out laughing.  
"What's so funny?" Samuel asked, tilting his head.  
"I, ah, I used to work there," William said when he finally calmed down. "I occasionally go back and work part time when I am particularly tight of budget that month."  
Samuel held back a laugh, "Oh? Really now?"  
William laughed even harder. "Yes, but I have not needed to 'work' there in almost a year..." William trails off, wiping his eyes with a smile. "Aaaaah, I can only hope that they do not think I need to work again, as hilarious as it would be, as Chris will be coming with us. As I said before, there should not be a problem."  
Samuel chuckled again, "Yeah I bet. And isn't this the first or second time the kid has been to an actual dancing joint?" He rose his eyebrow, a soft smile on his lips.  
William tapped a finger on his leg thoughtfully. "I am not sure, but he has only been to that specific place a handful of times during his time here with me."  
Samuel shrugged, "Ah, fair enough then. This one might be interesting for him." He snickered quietly.


	9. Hold Me Tight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha, aaaahhhh.... ((I'm a little shit, I'm sorry))   
> I'll be posting some art soon that I drew of these two and their family ((including NSFW stuff)), so keep an eye out for that.

-later that evening-  
William sat in the passenger seat of Samuel's car, watching the buildings fly by as they drove towards the club. Chris sat in the backseat, dressed in a new black dress shirt and slacks with a deep burgundy tie and suspenders. His silver hair was brushed and clean. William looked over to Samuel, who's eyes were fixed on the road.  
Samuel was tapping on the wheel along to the radio with a soft smile on his face. "We're almost there, gang." He mused out. Chris swallowed nervously, "I-I think I'm having second thoughts on this.." The young man said in a quiet, shaky voice.  
Samuel glanced back at him in the rear-view mirror, "You'll be alright. It's usually a pretty quiet joint on the weekdays."  
William nodded, turning around slightly to look at Chris. "Indeed, it is much more tame than on the weekends." William confirmed. "No need to worry, Chris, you will be fine." William smiled.  
Samuel chuckled quietly, "And hey, you never know. You might meet someone nice there and dance your heart out." He laughed softly, turning into a parking lot at the side of the building and put the car in park.   
"O-Oh, I don't know about that.." Chris' cheeks tinted pink as he rubbed the back of his neck before climbing out of the car.  
William opened the door, stepping out and shutting it behind him. He took one nervous look at the building before starting towards the front door where a small line was forming. As soon as William got within 20 feet of the bouncer, he attempted to hide his face with one hand and steer towards the end of the line, but the bouncer called out his name.  
Samuel and Chris walked up beside him, 'Hey, dad, I think he knows you.." Chris piped up.  
"William! What're you doin' here?" The large man asked cheerily. "The performer's entrance is around th' back! If you hurry, you'll be able ta catch the starta th' show!" He shoots a glare at the first person in line as if warning them to stay put before stepping over and starting to lead William to the front door. William's face started to turn a bright red as he tried to protest. "I-I am not here for work, I am here for leisure!" But his protestations fell on deaf ears.  
"Don' worry 'bout it! Yer frien's can come in too!" The bouncer waved over at Samuel and Chris. "C'mon, you can come in!"  
The two being left behind exchanged a look and started to follow William and the large man with a shrug. "You never told me that you worked here, dad." Chris said, a bit of a confused look on his face while Samuel was holding back snickers and giggles.  
William shot Samuel a pitiful look as he was dragged by the bouncer. "Angus, I do not wish to- GAH!" William stumbled as he was thrust towards the manager. "Hey boss, William's back!" Angus exclaimed.  
Samuel tapped on the man's shoulder, "Can't you hear him? He says he's not here for work!" But the bouncier ignored him as he pushed William into the small male dressing room, Chris close behind him.  
William turned towards the manager indignantly, crossing his arms. "Now listen here, I am not here for work! I am here for a leisure night with my family!" William puffed up slightly as the manager smirked. "Oh, Will, whatever would we do if you didn't work for us!" He placed a finger under William's chin with a purr. "You are our best dancer!" He noticed William's stubborn face. "Look, Will, if you dance for us tonight, we'll let your 'family' have free drinks all night! They can drink as much as they like, and hey! I'll even through in a free round of drinks for them for the next time they come in! Whaddya say?" The manager smirked devilishly. William reluctantly took his hand, shaking it. "Fine, but on one condition: Samuel and Chris will NOT be dancing as well. I know that look; you want to hire them too." The manager shrugged. "Fine, whatever. Now let's get you dressed!"  
Samuel stiffened at their conversation and Chris had to hold his arm to keep him back. And the taller man relaxed a bit when William walked off. He let out a breath through his noise and nudged Chris, "C'mon. Let's go get some of those free drinks." Chris quietly nodded and followed him out of the backstage area to the main dancing area. The room had a loud, yet mellow buzz to it. Pink, orange, and red lights giving the room a warmer feeling to it. The walls were lined with table booths and some large couches and single chairs were strewn about while there was a large open area for dancers in front of the stage. Samuel lead Chris through the small crowd to the bar area and they took a couple of seats at the main table.   
Chris nervously looked at the menu, "I'm not big on drinking.." He said meekly, and ended up ordering a water. Samuel nodded, "Good. You're not actually of age yet anyway." And he ordered a mild beer to start.  
William looked at the costume held up before him by one of the other, younger burlesque dancers. "... I am NOT wearing that." The manager appeared behind him, whispering in his ear. "Your beau out there will LOVE it." He grinned before sweeping off again. William flushed a dark red before reluctantly grabbing the costume. "...fine..." He went behind one of the folders to change.  
Chris nervously swiveled around in his seat, looking the place over, at all the people, and the stage. "When do you think dad is getting back..?" Chris asked a bit nervously.  
Samuel glanced at Chris then the stage, "No idea. But whatever they're gonna make him do, you might want to go to the bathroom when the show starts. Unless you want a mental scarring of your dad stuck in your head." The taller man said with a chuckle. Chris bit his lip and nodded, "Yeah, alright.. Wait what do you-"   
From the stage, one of the performer women stepped up the mic, "Ladies and gentlemen." She said with a silky voice, causing some people in the audience to whistle and hoot, "Please put your hands together for our locally-love band and dancers, The (insert name here)!" The audience clapped and cheered and the curtains pulled back and the music kicked up.  
Both Chris and Samuel's jaws dropped at the sight. "Ho-ly shit." Samuel breathed out.  
"And we have a special guest tonight, folks. The last time he was here was a few months ago, but for those who don't 'member," She winked at the last word. "The Doctor is in the house!" She swept a hand pointing blatantly at William. A dozen people in the crowd started to whistle and clap even louder than before.  
And at the sight of William in his stripper costume, Chris covered his eyes and got up, "I'll be in the- ah.. yeah. Yep. Get me when he's done." He said very awkwardly before hurrying off to the bathrooms, wanting nothing more than to get the image out of his head.   
But Samuel didn't even register Chris leaving. Because god DAMN William could rock fucking anything, he swore. He clapped a bit himself and a small smirk played on his lips. He was never going to let Will live this down. But first, time to enjoy the show.  
And at the sight of William in his stripper costume, Chris covered his eyes and got up, "I'll be in the- ah.. yeah. Yep. Get me when he's done." He said very awkwardly before hurrying off to the bathrooms, wanting nothing more than to get the image out of his head.   
But Samuel didn't even register Chris leaving. Because god DAMN William could rock fucking anything, he swore. He clapped a bit himself and a small smirk played on his lips. He was never going to let Will live this down. But first, time to enjoy the show.  
William frowned when they announced his old stage name, flushing slightly. A slow tune started to play, his hips and the other dancers hips starting to sway in time to the music. They all put their hands above their heads as they put a leg out, then swayed their hips around in a circle to bring their other leg in front. Their heads all went down as they put their hands on their hips, the tune still slow as they fluidly moved their bodies in unison along to the music. As the music started to speed up, all the other dancers except for William stepped back, revealing a pole in the middle of the stage.  
The audience whistled and hooted when the pole was reviled, but Samuel but a fist over his mouth to keep from laughing. Ohh god this was too much.   
But he was pulled away from the sight of the stage when a young woman tapped his shoulder, "Buy a girl a drink~?" She purred softly. Oh god one of these girls. Samuel knew full well that she worked for the place, making all the men buy more drinks and such. He inwardly rolled his eyes and smiled at the blond. "Sure. I'm actually getting my drinks on the house tonight due to my, ah, friend being a performer tonight." He stole another glance towards the stage.  
William kept his eyes on Samuel as he danced, the girls in the background half-mimicking his movements with large feathered fans.  
Samuel kept politely chatting with the young woman before she kissed his cheek and flounced off to do the same for some other poor soul. When she finally left, he turned his attention towards the stage once more, locking eyes with William, a small smirk playing at his lips again as he sipped his beer.  
William soon finished up the song, bending over backwards so that his knees and shoulders on the ground with his hips high in the air, still looking directly at Samuel.  
The whole place cheered and some people in the front even threw money at the dancers in appreciation. Samuel grinned and devilishly winked at the smaller man before finishing off his first drink, setting it on the table and heading to the bathroom to tell Chris William's song was over.  
William flushed darkly before fluidly sitting up and sauntering off the stage with the other dancers. He quickly changed back into his normal clothes before heading straight over to the bar, immediately receiving a cocktail which he downed just as quickly as he got it.  
Samuel finally got Chris out of the bathroom and they both walked over, Samuel smiling, "That.. was actually rather impressive." The dark haired man mused as he took up his seat again at the bar, ordering the same as William. Chris just awkwardly sat in his chair again, watching the people on the dance floor free-style along with the band.  
William frowned, rubbing his face in his hands. He grimaced as his hands came away with flecks of glitter still all over. "Thank you, but I personally wish I did not agree to it. Jerith is...persistent... To say the least..." William trailed off with a slight flush, looking away.  
Samuel frowned slightly, "Yeah. I could tell." He sighed out, stiffening a bit. "Why was he so persistent, anyway? Is he that desperate?" Samuel muttered, as he sipped his drink a bit grumpily.  
William flushed darker, rubbing the back of his awkwardly with a nervous smile. "W-well, he, ah, and uh, I- we, uhm" William stuttered.  
Chris piped up, "Don't wanna hear it!"  
William turned to Chris, wringing his hands slightly. "Do you remember the, ah, man in blue? The one that was so infatuated with me that you thought he would propose...?" William asked quietly. He gave a nervous laugh. "That, uh, was Jerith..." He mumbled, looking at the ground with his face a bright red.  
Chris' jaw dropped, "No fucking way." He muttered before snickering, "Damn, dad, you get all the hot guys." Chris laughed before looking over the crowd again.  
William nodded nervously. "Eh, yes, well, I was not entirely truthful as to his job. He was not truly a policeman, but he was indeed attempting to acquire drugs from me." William propped up his head in one hand as he stared off. He jerked up slightly, hands in front of him defensively. "But I did NOT have any! He kept pestering me to make some for him and his coworkers, but I denied him... He... He was not very pleasant after that..." William trailed off, rubbing one arm with a wince. William shook his head. "But no matter, the past is behind me and I can defend myself much better now! He holds nothing over me, nor I to him."  
Samuel tensed a bit, not liking this guy more and more, but he forced himself to relax, "If that guy bothers you, you tell me, alright?" Samuel's golden eyes seemed to shine out against the deep pink and red lights of the room.  
William shook his head again. "I will fully be able to deal with *Jerith* myself. He cannot do any harm unto me as long as he still holds his egotistical reputation above his grudges." William flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to see Jerith behind him, smiling devilishly again as he got close to William. "Oh dear, talking shit about me behind my back again, I see?" He purred. He took a look at Samuel, who glared back. "Miaou, You'd better watch out, kitten, you've got a mutt behind you." He grinned wider at Samuel before looking back at William. "I doubt your mange back there could fully comprehend your presence on stage, kitten, but I thought you were absolutely *delectable* ." Jerith smirked at Samuel, who was growing angrier and angrier as he spoke. "Why don't you leave scrap yard and baby-boo here behind and come play with me *again* ?" He breathed, inches from William's face.  
Samuel pulled William behind his back and got right into Jerith's face, almost spitting in it, "Listen here you sleezy son a bitch, you leave William *alone*, you hear me?" He growled at the man, who was a good inch shorter than Samuel himself. "He is obviously uncomfortable around you and wants you to leave him be! So just go fuck someone else, and leave. Us. Alone." His golden eyes flashed menacingly as he bared his teeth just barely, his canines catching the light.   
Chris' eyes were wide as he watched Samuel spit fire at the man, standing close to William, gripping the hem of the older man's jacket to steady himself. The silver haired boy really didn't like conflict, despite growing up around his sister.  
William put a calm hand on Samuel's shoulder, pulling him back slightly to turn the taller man towards him. "Samuel, I said that I can deal with him myself, okay?" He said with an innocent face before turning towards Jerith, taking one step towards the smirking man. "Well, kitten, you might want to put a muzzle on- OOF!" He was abruptly cut off as William landed a solid right hook across the taller man's face. Jerith put a hand up to his face in shock, before grinning again, licking some of the blood off his lip as he stood up straight. "Baby got back~" he says before William punches him again. Jerith is knocked flat on his back this time, laughter bubbling out of him. "Oh, babe, you remembered! Aaahhh, I love it when you get feisty." He sits up with a small groan, an arm coming up to wipe his bloodied, possibly broken, nose. " *Do it again.* " William lets out a strangled scream, attempting to lunge at Jerith, but was quickly restrained by Samuel and Chris.  
Samuel glared at the man on the floor, wanting to break his ribs with a solid kick, but restrained himself, muttering to William, "Let's just leave. Coming here was a mistake."   
Chris nodded, his anxiety about to teeter and just wanting to get his dad out of this situation, "Dad, please, can we just go home now?" Chris almost begged, "He isn't worth it.."  
William struggled against the two of them for a little bit longer before slowly stopping. He hung his head, looking back to Jerith with a vicious snarl. "I fucking know you, and you had better not lay a goddamn finger on my family. You hear me Jerith, this is your THIRD AND FINAL FUCKING STRIKE!" He yelled, yanking his arms away from Samuel and Chris, turning on a heel as he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. He walked away from Jerith without a word as the man started to laugh, laying his head back down on the floor.  
Samuel waited until William was out the door before sending Chris to go and follow him. Glaring down at Jerith, he hesitated a moment before kicking him hard in the groin, and casually walking out of the place, meeting up again with William and Chris who were already waiting in the car.  
William had his arms crossed, glaring straight ahead of him as Samuel got in the car. "You should not have done that." He says, still staring ahead. "He holds grudges. He *will* remember that you did that. If you are lucky, he may just tell everyone that you owe him a favour."  
Samuel scoffed, "If he thinks he can treat you like that- and in front of me.." He shook his head, clutching the wheel, "I don't care. But what I do care about is him touching and treating you that way." His blood was boiling and he almost couldn't see strait he was seething so badly.  
William looked down, glaring at his legs before turning around to look at Chris in the backseat. "I deeply apologise for my actions, if you would wish to go home I would completely understand."  
Chris bit his lip and looked out the window, "... The night is still young.. But I think I'd rather go home. Maybe call Cherry to see if she made it home safe.." His voice trailed off but perked up a little, "Ah, thanks anyway for taking me. We can maybe try another place next time, yeah?"  
Samuel calmed himself down enough to breathe, looking back at Chris with a slight smile, "Of course! This is Chicago. There's plenty of places to go in this town." That made Chris smile a little, which was good enough for Samuel.  
William nodded, turning back towards the front of the car. "Alright, well I recommend we leave soon or else risk having your car damaged, Samuel."  
Samuel nodded, starting up the car and pulling away from the building, taking a bit of a short cut and heading back to William's house.  
As soon as they reached the house, William immediately flung the door open and stormed inside. "I need a shower..." He mumbled out a half-assed explanation at Samuel's questioning look.  
Chris got out as well and quietly went inside, leaving Samuel alone in the car. Samuel turned off the car and leaned back in his seat, taking a breath before punching the car door out of frustration. How could he have been so damn stupid!? Ugh, he should have never came up with the idea. Should have never let that creep near William.. He groaned out loud to himself, forcing himself to calm down before he climbed out of the car and locked it, heading inside and into the kitchen to get a drink of water. He passed Chris who was on the phone with his sister.  
Almost an hour later, the bathroom door could be heard being slammed shut a few moments before William's bedroom door could be heard doing the same.  
Samuel flinched from the kitchen table, able to hear the slamming loud and clear. He didn't make a move to go upstairs. Instead, he stayed at his spot in the kitchen and continued to scribble some things down in a small empty notebook he found while cleaning up a bit. He kept writing until late into the night, nearly falling asleep at the table. When he caught himself the third time drifting off, he closed the book and went into the living room, kicked off his shoes, and decided to sleep on the couch tonight. Better to give William his space.  
William lay awake in bed, not getting a wink of sleep that night. By the time the sun had risen, he had calmed down considerably. He sat himself up with a groan, grabbing a tight, black, long-sleeved shirt from his stash, not caring that it had a low neckline. William walked down stairs, wincing slightly at the sight of Samuel on the couch before going into the kitchen to make himself a cuppa.  
Chris never even laid down in bed, he carefully hung his nice clothes up and changed into his simple sleep bottoms and shirt- but never made it to his bed. In the middle of the night he called Cherry again and told her what happened. He hasn't been separated from her for more than a day and he was getting anxiety attacks. She helped calm him down enough to go back to his room, but he was pacing, always going back to the window to see if the man in blue would show up or not. His mind was a wreck.   
Surprisingly enough, the couch was comfy enough that Samuel was able to fall asleep quite quickly, but since it was small, his long body awkwardly hung off the end and sides a little.  
William blearily walked over to the couch where Samuel lay, sitting down on the very edge beside one of his legs. He set his cup down on the coffee table before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to Samuel's forehead. He leaned his forehead against Samuel's for a moment before taking his cup and heading back upstairs to his room.  
Samuel cracked a tired eye open just in time to see William walk away. He sighed softly through his nose and closed his eyes again, drifting back off to sleep quickly.   
When William made it back upstairs once again, he could hear mumblings and quiet sobs coming from Chris' bedroom, but the door was locked. William quickly fell into a restless sleep, his tea only half-drank on the bedside table. A few hours later he woke up with a gasp, visions of Jerith dancing before his eyes. He curled up into a ball, tears leaking slowly and silently from his eyes. After he had calmed down, he realised the house was completely silent. William slowly got out of bed, cautiously opening the door and peaking out into the hallway. Chris' door was wide open. William padded over to investigate.  
Inside the room, Chris was curled up in the corner, knees pulled up to his chest and his head down, his shoulders shaking from silent sobs. Beside him, Samuel gently stroked the younger man's back, whispering comforting words to him and trying to help Chris calm down.  
William leaned against the door blearily, the lack of sleep starting to catch up to him. "Chris...? Samuel, what's going on?" He asked quietly.  
William's face fell, averting his eyes in shame. "Do you want to go home, Chris...?" He asked quieter. He leaned his head against the doorway, looking up at Chris with tired eyes.  
Chris hesitated and shook his head, slowly standing up with the help of Samuel, "No, dad.. I.. It's not your fault, okay? That creep just freaked me out.." His hands twitched as he played with the hem of his night shirt. "I-I want to stay a little l-l-longer, if it's okay with you.." He slowly walked over to William, his shoulders hunched slightly as his feet shuffled, "But I want to help somehow."  
William gave Chris a confused look. "Help...?" He put his hands on Chris shoulders, forcing him to stand up straight. "Believe me, Chris, you do not want to get involved with him. I do not need help with dealing with him."  
Chris shook his head, "No, I want to help YOU, dad.. You just seem more.. lost since we lived with you.. more hollow.." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, looking William in the eye again, his electric blue eyes still as bright as ever, even if his cheeks were tear stained, "I want to help fill that hole.. I don't think we need another broken soul in this house." He tried a smile, wiping his cheeks again to try and perk himself up a bit.  
William sags even more, his hands slipping off of Chris' shoulders. He runs a hand through his messy hair before taking a deep, shaky breath. "I-I am deeply sorry that I am..." He takes another deep breath, looking up at the ceiling. "Yes, yes, you can stay for as long as you like. Company is always good.." William trails off, his shoulders starting to slump a little more.  
Chris knit his brows together before pulling William into a tight hug, "It's not your fault, dad. It never is anyone's fault. But sometimes.. it takes a little longer to heal in some places than others." The silver-haired boy said quietly as Samuel came up beside them and placed a gentle hand on William's back.  
William goes partially limp into the hug, holding Chris tightly as he starts to cry. "I don't deserve this... I don't deserve any of this... I don't deserve either of you..." He sobs out.  
Chris shook his head sternly, "No, you don't deserve all the *shit* you get. Ah, p-pardon my language." He said quietly. "And honestly, Cherry never admitted it, but we both agreed on one thing. You're still the best dad- and friend either of us could have asked for.." He pulled away and looked at William, "Dad, our life went into the gutter when we had to leave here. Cherry taking nasty jobs, begging for money on the streets, getting into.." He cringed and shook his head, "Nevermind. The point is, you deserve better for being such an amazing father to me and Cherry." Samuel nodded in agreement and piped up a bit, "And for being an amazing companion to me." He smiled fondly at the shorter man, wrapping his arm around his shoulders to help William stand up a bit taller.  
William smiles slightly, tears still running freely down his cheeks. He wipes messily at his eyes, before taking a shuddering breath. "Thank you... I-I just..." William trails off slightly before starting again. "I am so utterly *tired* , mentally and physically. Occasionally I wish that the world would just stop. Just stop revolving, stop all processes, just... *stop* ..." William looks at Chris with tired eyes.  
Chris looked back at him with equal tiredness and sighed out a laugh, "I know how you feel, dad. Trust me."   
Samuel smiled sadly at the two of them, nodding as well, "Mhm. Just for a while... Hmm.. Well.. maybe we can. For one morning at least." He tried a smile and slowly took his hand away from William's back, "I'll go make us a nice hot breakfast. You two go back to bed and get a little extra sleep. I'll bring it up to ya both when I'm done. How does that sound?" He grinned at the two scientists fondly.   
Chris smiled graciously, "That sounds like it would be GREAT."  
William inclined his head slightly, his eyes drooping. "I dunno bout you," he slurred slightly. "But right here seems lika good place ta sleeeeeee..." William fell over, partially held up by Chris as he went limp.  
Samuel quickly caught William before Chris could drop him, grinning at the younger lad, he picked William up better- bridal style, "Get some sleep if you can. I'll be up in an hour or two with food." Chris smiled and nodded, holding back a small laugh for William's actions.   
Samuel carefully carried the sleeping William to his bedroom and laid him on his bed, pulling the blankets up to the man's chin and kissing his forehead softly. He turned and quietly headed across the room, closing the curtains to make the room dark and silently closed the door behind himself as he left the man to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((In case you were curious as to how William was dancing, here's the link for the first half of the pole scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut_4TXTUEKc 0:33-1:01, then 1:15-2:10 [minus the booty-shaking parts], ending with 2:30-2:50; then for the second half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHnydNfZ6HI the first 30 seconds.))


	10. Serenity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D'aaaawwww, lotsa fluff in this one. :33  
> Oh, and the drawings I've done for this series ((for anyone interested)) can be found here: http://eruka-crauw.tumblr.com/

William rolled over with a grumble an hour later, a heavenly smell wafting around his room. He groaned, blearily running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face as he looked over to the door where Samuel stood. William smiled tiredly. "S'that for me?" He asked.  
Samuel smiled and nodded, "Yes indeedy." He chirped quietly, walking over and setting the tray of food on the bedside table. A few strips of bacon, toast with scrambled eggs on top, mini pancakes with a saucer of syrup on the side, and a large cup of tea. Just the way William liked it. The taller man sat on the edge of the bed, "I brought Chris his breakfast already, so, it's your turn." He smiled down at William, kissing his forehead.  
William giggled, his voice still rough from sleep. "Wow, I feel so special now..." He turned towards the food, half-glaring at it. He fluidly sat up, his head lolling slightly. "You don' need to make me this..." He mumbled.  
"Yeah, but I wanted to. So too bad." He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Breakfast is fun to make, And you deserve it."  
William fell back onto his back, then rolled over as he smushed his face into the pillow. "I don' needit! I am perfectly fine with sleeeep..." William sighed into the pillow, bringing his arms up under it with a smile. He closed his eyes.  
Samuel chuckled softly, "Fine, fine. If you want I could always give this to Chrrriiiiiiiis~" He mused, standing up and motioning to pick up the try, "That kid could eat the whole house if he wanted." He laughed out.  
William's arm shot out, grabbing Samuel's thigh. He flipped his head back over to face Samuel with a pout. "No." He said.  
Samuel laughed out and sat back down, "I figured." He smirked playfully. "C'mon, then. Before it gets cold." He picked up the fork and twirled it in his hand fancily before handing it to William.  
William groans, rolling back over and sitting up again, accepting the fork and pulling the tray into his lap. "Fine..." He grumbled as he started to dig in.  
Samuel grinned and kissed his head again, standing up, "I forgot my coffee. I'll be right back." He said before heading out of the room quietly. Mostly allowing the smaller man to eat in peace.  
William nodded, continuing to blearily shove food into his mouth.  
Samuel headed downstairs and found Chris already up and washing his own dishes. The silver-haired boy turned his head with a smile, "Thanks again for making breakfast. It was AMAZING."   
The taller man smiled a bit, "Thanks, Chris. I'm glad you liked it." He walked over and picked up his mug, filling it up with some fresh coffee, "So it's just a quiet day for you then?" He asked, taking a sip of the warm drink.  
"Yeah I think so. Not quite sure what to do yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something."  
William quickly finished, taking his mostly full cup of tea and plate downstairs. He placed his plate in the sink for Chris to wash as well as he leaned on the counter, sipping his tea.  
Samuel smiled when William came in and continued talking to Chris, "Alright then. I think I should go check on the casino today. You think you could look out for William, then?" He grinned, making Chris roll his eyes, "If you hear police sirens, it was mostly likely not us."  
William grunted out a half-laugh, glaring at his tea as he took another sip. "Mos' likely I'll be sleep." He slurred.  
Chris grinned, "Right right. So probably just sketching and tinkertoys for me today." He remembered the drill from seven years ago. When it was a sleep day for William, the house was quiet, one way or another. Otherwise, the beast would be unleashed.   
Samuel nodded, "I'll try and be back in a day or two. Probably have to catch up on a lot of work, myself." He finished off his coffee and put the mug in the sink.  
William kept his half-lidded eyes on Samuel as he wandered around the kitchen. "Have fun." He murmured as he took another sip of his tea.  
Samuel grinned softly, coming up behind the shorter scientist from behind and hugged him, planting a few kisses on his cheek and neck, nuzzling the man's hair with his nose, "Hope you sleep well, love."  
"Mmm" he grunted in agreement, turning his head slightly to give him a quick peck on the lips before going back to his tea. "Now get goin', you haven' been at the casino for a week..." He said sleepily.  
Samuel chuckled lowly, rolling his eyes, "I know, I know. Can't help it that you're hijinks keep me here." He slowly pulled away and headed for the front door, "See'ya Chris!" He called out, "Love you, Will." He said in a bit softer voice, smiling at the man before opening up the door and heading out.  
William waved a hand in Samuel's direction, finishing off his drink. He placed the cup in the sink and started towards the stairs. "'M goin' T' bed..." He said to Chris.  
Chris nodded, "Sleep well, dad." He replied, finishing up the dishes and drying off his hands.  
William made his way upstairs, leaning against his bedroom window as he watched Samuel drive off and down the street. He sighed, flopping down onto the bed.  
-later-  
About three days later, late at night, Samuel snuck back into William's house. He listened for a moment to see if anybody was awake/ active before heading upstairs. He quietly knocked on William's door before stepping inside.  
William snored lightly, unaware of Samuel's intrusion. The only sign he heard Samuel was a twitch of his leg.  
Samuel paused before smiling to himself and walking over to the bed, carefully sitting on the edge and looking down at the sleeping man.  
William twitched again, his brow furrowing slightly as he rolled onto his side. His leg bumped into Samuel's back. William froze as his eyes shot open, looking around frantically before settling on Samuel's shadowed form. William shot up, lunging at Samuel with wild eyes, knocking them both off the bed. He let out a small gasp when Samuel's face was revealed by the faint moonlight shining through the window. "Oh shit, I am so sorry Samuel... I did not know it was you!" William whispered as he got off of Samuel.  
Samuel's yellow eyes went wide when they both fell, gasping out slightly when the breath got knocked out of him on impact. The taller man tried to catch his breath before slowly sitting up, "I-I'm sorry that I startled you so badly.. I didn't mean to.." He groaned quietly as he rolled his shoulders a bit.  
William winced. "I am so sorry!" He repeated, helping Samuel up. He sat down on his bed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why on Earth did you sneak into my room, anyway?" He asked.  
"Sorry.. And I.. I really don't know.." He shrugged a bit shyly. I wanted to see if you were alright, maybe climb in with you. But.. yeah." He tried to smile a bit in the dim moon light.  
William sighed, shifting back up on the bed and over slightly before patting the bed beside him. "Well alright then, climb on in." He said nonchalantly.  
Samuel smiled a bit, still a little shy about the whole situation, and climbed in under the covers with William.  
William shifted closer to Samuel, wrapping an arm around his hips. He pulled Samuel flush against him as he nestled his head into the taller man's chest. William pressed a chaste kiss to Samuel's collarbone before nestling back into his chest.  
Samuel chuckled softly, vibrations low in his chest. He wrapped his scarred arms around William's middle gently, pressing a few small kisses to his face and forehead before kissing his lips a bit more roughly than he intended. Pulling away slightly, he kept the smaller man close, "I missed you, Will." He whispered into William's messy ash-brown hair.  
William chuckled quietly. "It has only been two days." He squinted up at the clock hanging on the wall. "Or rather three days, judging by the fact it is nearly 2'o'clock in the morning." William grinned kissing Samuel back.  
"Yes, well, paperwork and dealing with complaints is boring and tiresome compared to spending time with you." He smiled softly, pecking his lips softly once more before pulling William closer, tangling their legs together comfortably and resting his cheek against Will's soft hair.  
William smirked. "I am better than making money? You flatter me~" William shifted up enough so that he was now nose to nose with Samuel. He grinned sleepily at the younger man. "Apologies again for assaulting you."  
" *Much* better than that." He almost moaned out. Samuel smiled back at William, pressing their forehead together, "It's alright. At least you didn't pull a knife on me like some ladies tried to do years back." He chuckled, kissing William's nose softly then his lips again.  
William smirked, reaching under his pillow and grabbing something. He sat up, the item glinting wickedly in the light as he flicked it around his wrist then into his hand, blade pointed outwards now. "Like this?" He asked innocently, allowing Samuel to gape at the butterfly knife.  
Samuel's eyes widened, mouth dropping open a little, "... I was wondering what that lump was." He shifted a bit uncomfortably.  
William giggled quietly, flicking the knife back closed before placing it back in his pillowcase. He laid down contentedly, smiling at Samuel. "Apologies, I found your comment very ironic, as if my hands had been under my pillow I would have been very similar to your past beaus." William placed a kiss to Samuel's nose.  
Samuel swallowed and laughed nervously, "Hah, r-right." His cheeks flushed a bit as he pulled William close to him again. "You.. You wouldn't actually do that, would you?" He asked, fearing he already knew the answer.  
William shook his head. "I would never pull my knife on you. Considering the probability of someone sneaking into my room on the second story, and specifically my room, you are the most likely candidate." He reasoned, pressing a kiss to Samuel's forehead. "I will now keep in mind that late-night visits from you are more probable now." William snuggled back into Samuel's arms, pressing his lips against the ravenet's lips.  
Samuel chuckled quietly, his body relaxing at hearing that. "Thank god." He smiled softly, "Heh, sorry again for that. I just had to get out of there." He said quietly before kissing the scientist back.  
William pulled back slightly. "It is alright." He breathed, kissing Samuel with fervour.  
Samuel closed his eyes as well, pulling the smaller man closer to his body as they kissed.  
William smiled into the kiss, running his tongue along Samuel's bottom lip as his hips twitched.  
Samuel slowly opened up and went out to meet William's tongue. Roaming his mouth with his tongue as he pulled the smaller man closer to his body.  
William sighed happily before pulling away, resting his forehead against Samuel's. "As agreeable as this is, I would much rather sleep now... Is that alright?" He said quietly.  
Samuel lightly rubbed his thumb into William's side, smiling softly, "Sure thing, Will." He leaned forward and pecked his lips lightly then his forehead, pressing their foreheads together again. "Good night, love." The younger man yawned.  
William smiled, his eyes sliding closed. "Goodnight." He whispered as he drifted off to sleep.  
-the next morning-  
William awoke to Samuel's quiet snores, long limbs tangled with his own.  
Samuel kept William close to him all through the night out of habit, his nose nuzzled into his hair as his mouth hung slightly open. Another peaceful morning.  
William giggled quietly, manoeuvring himself out of Samuel's grasp to tap him lightly on the nose with one now-free hand. "Boop." He whispered, giggling more.  
Samuel scrunched his face lightly at the contact and loss of warmth, his scarred arms blindly searching for William's form. When he couldn't find it he moaned out in irritation and cracked his good eye open, vision blurred as he looked up at the stronger-built beside him.  
William chuckled at Samuel's flailing about, laughing quietly when Samuel glares up at him with one eye. He covers his mouth with one fist as he continues to snicker. "Morning, Rapunzel..."  
Samuel groaned and closed his eye again, shifting his body over and wrapping his arms around William's waist, "Shut up.." His groaned out, voice still husky from sleep.  
William smiled, his laughter slowing down. He put a hand on Samuel's head, carefully playing with some of the tangled strands. "You are quite cuddly in the morning, I must say..." He smiled fondly down at Samuel.  
Samuel mumbled something incoherently and simply nuzzled into William's stomach, breathing in some of the man's scent and relaxing again, resting his head in the scientist's lap. There was no way in hell he was getting up yet.  
William sighed, leaning his head back to look up at the ceiling. His other arm reached up and under his head to cushion it slightly as he closed his eyes again.  
The thinner man smiled weakly, starting to drift back off to sleep.   
But that's when the sound of glass shattering on the ground woke him up. "The hell was that..?" He groaned out, finally sitting up.  
William sighed again. "That may be Chris..." He sat up, stretched, then got out of bed. William padded over to the door, leaning out slightly. "CHRIS...?" He called out.  
Chris called back, "I'M OKAY! SORRY!" The sounds of feet shuffling and getting out the broom followed.  
William nodded. "ALRIGHT, MAKE SURE TO NEUTRALIZE ANY AND ALL CHEMICALS SPILLED IF NEED BE." He moved back into the room, shutting the door. He shrugged at Samuel. "Kids."  
Samuel rolled his eyes, "I don't think normal kids break beakers and spill corroding chemicals in the morning."  
William shrugged again. He walked over to the bed and flopped down face-first, then turned his head to look at Samuel. "Well this child does."  
Samuel chuckled lowly, kissing William's nose, "I can see that." He grinned.  
William pouted slightly, rolling over so that his arm and leg flopped onto Samuel. He now lay on his back, a stubborn look on his face.  
Samuel groaned, "What are you doing, Will?" He tried to shove his arm and leg off of him.  
William rolled over onto Samuel, effectively crushing him. "Booooored." He said as he went limp on top of Samuel.  
Samuel grunted and tried to shove him off, "Get your heavy ass off me!"  
William shoved his face into Samuel's chest. "No." He said, his voice muffled.  
Samuel groaned and sighed, flopping his head back into the pillow and sighing, "You're crushing me.."  
"Well maybe Gravity has a grudge against you specifically." William mumbled, rolling off of Samuel and right onto the floor. "Sonuva-!" William shouted as he hit the floor with a loud thud. He groaned closing his eyes. "This is fine..."  
Samuel peeked over the bed, "The fuck is wrong with you, man?"  
William glared up at Samuel. "A good many of things..." He grumbled, sitting up with a groan.  
Samuel swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked down at him, holding out a hand, "I know I know. But I'm gonna help you eventually." He smiled softly.  
William waved off Samuel's hand, hoisting himself up fluidly. He turned towards Samuel. "Now then! Did you have anything in mind for today?"  
Samuel smiled up at him, shaking his head, "Not a plan in the world. Anything that involves me staying away from the casino."  
William laughed. "I did not take you for a procrastinator." He smiled as he shook his head, making his way back towards the door. "I am going to make myself a cuppa. Would you like something as well?" He asked, pausing at the doorway to look back at Samuel.  
"Oh I'm not. There's just usually nothing important going on during the day, so why bother?" He shrugged, lazily lying back down, "Black coffee would be fantastic, thanks." He smiled fondly over at William.  
William nodded, throwing a smile at Samuel before leaving to go downstairs, closing the door behind him.  
Downstairs, Chris was using an old rag to wipe up some spilled purple liquid, some of it staining the floor, but mostly coming out. A small pile of glass shards were sitting on the counter and some of the sharper pieces had little lines of blood on them. The silver haired teen looked up at William sheepishly, "S-Sorry, dad. Me and my dumb butterfingers dropped a glass of grape juice.." He looked back down at the floor and kept trying to scrub out the stains.  
William smiled down at Chris. "It is alright, no harm done. There are plenty of other glasses to drink from." William said cheerfully as he started to make coffee and put the kettle on. "Oh, and Samuel is here again. He arrived late last night via tumbling through my window." He paused. "Actually, I haven't the faintest idea how he got in the house..." He mused.  
Chris looked up again and rose an eyebrow, "Seriously? Wow." He shook his head and kept at it, finally giving up and standing, throwing the rag into the sink. Chris shrugged, "Probably the same way you do when you lock yourself out." He smirked, nudging is foster father in the side.  
William pursued his lips at the action, stumbling slightly. "Well at least I have a legitimate way to get into the house when I cannot open the front door." He stuck his tongue out at Chris as he bumped his hip against Chris'.  
Chris stumbled and laughed out, "Yeah, through the god damn window." He snickered, carefully sweeping the broken pieces of glass into his hand and going to throw them away, wincing slightly as one of the shards cuts his hand again.  
William looked at Chris stubbornly. "At least I do not break the damn door down at 2 in the morning yelling 'DAD HOLY FUCK'." He said, crossing his arms.  
"That was ONE TIME OKAY??" Chris groaned out, dumping the glass into the trash and crossing his arms back, glaring at William.  
William glared back at Chris. After a few moments of dead silence, the corner of his mouth twitched up as laughter started to bubble out of him.  
Chris started to chuckle softly as well, uncrossing his arms and rubbing his hands tenderly, "Good times, good times." He snickered, folding his hands behind his back.  
William shook his head, forcing his laughter to dissipate as the kettle started to scream. He took the kettle off the stove, pouring the water into the cup as it started to steep the tea. Soon both the tea and coffee were ready. William inclined his head at Chris, taking the two cups and heading back upstairs. "If you need either of us we will be in my bedroom." He said over his shoulder.  
Chris smiled softly and nodded, "Yeah alright. I'll just be tinkering in the lab. So, ah.. yeah." His voice trailed off as William left the room. Biting his lip, Chris sighed out to himself and heading for the phone to make a quick call.  
Upstairs, Samuel had gone into the bathroom to get cleaned up a bit, and realized how long his hair was actually getting. He hummed to himself as he pulled it back, comparing different lengths before shrugging and pulling his black locks back into his usual low pony tail.  
William walked past the bathroom, pausing when he heard Samuel in there. "Your coffee is done, would you like me to put it on the bedside table?" He asked.  
Samuel opened up the door and smiled thankfully at William. His shirt was not buttoned up yet and his face was a little scruffy, but he didn't care. Coffee first, appearance later. He walked over and gratefully took the warm cup from William and pecked his lips before taking a nice, long sip. "Thanks, babe. I really needed this." He hummed out, smiling to himself as the cup warmed his hands.  
William smiled up at the younger man. "It is of no trouble." He took a sip of his own drink before padding off to the bedroom. He set the cup down on the bedside table before heading over to his desk, pulling out the blueprints he had been working on the day before.  
Samuel grinned to himself, wandering over and peeking over at the blueprints, "What's this?" He asked curiously.  
William looked up at Samuel from his scribbling, placing the pencil down and turning the blueprints towards Samuel. "I was merely sketching out a rough idea for the idea for a sort of suit that Chris had brought up the other evening." He looked back down to the blueprints. "Of course this is only a preliminary plan. The actual suit may not come into fruition for quite awhile longer."  
Samuel nodded, "Nifty." He said simply, taking another sip of his coffee, "What materials do you think you'll need for this? I could scower around town for 'em if you need."  
William shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest." He stated simply. He went back to work, quickly finishing up a few details and notes before rolling it up and placing it back in one of the drawers under the desk. "And anyway, I would have to figure out what material would work best before I could actually consider making the suit. But enough of that, I think I would much rather just read and laze around." William chuckled slightly at that. "Following your lead of procrastination."  
Samuel scoffed, "It's not procrastinating if the people don't even want you there. Besides, they have it under control." He replied with an eyeroll, heading for the door.  
William chuckled, walking back over to the bedside table and picking his drink back up. He took a sip. "Well that still sounds like procrastination."  
"Do you WANT me to leave?" He lightly threatened, smirking back at William devilishly. "You'd miss me." He snickered.  
William scoffed. "Of course I would miss you, but you still have obligations. I am lucky enough to work from home." He sat down on the bed, taking another sip. He reached over into the bedside table, pulling out a thick book.  
Samuel turned on his heels and looked at William, "Actually, with you killing off the boss, my paperwork load has basically cut itself in half. I was able to get most all of it done these past few days." He mused, leaning against the doorframe, sighing softly, "But you're probably right.. But that's a problem for later." He shrugged, rolling his head and body to follow as he fluidly walked out the door to go get some more coffee.  
William scoffed again, opening the large book after crawling under the covers, curling up with his cup in one hand.  
When Samuel came down into the kitchen, he noticed a note folded up on the table, he picked it up and scanned it over before calling out to William, "HEY WILL? CHRIS LEFT A NOTE SAYING HE WAS GOING OUT FOR THE DAY." He dropped the paper back down and went over to the pot, pouring himself another cup of black coffee.  
"ALRIGHT." He called back, not even looking up from his book. William continued to read his book, waiting for Samuel to get back. 'I wonder where Chris went too...? Maybe back to Cherry...?'  
Eventually the taller man made his way back upstairs with a book under his arm. It wasn't as thick as William's but still a pretty large page-turner. He set his mug on the other bedside table and crawled in next to William, pulling the blankets over his legs and adjusting the pillow to he could lean back more comfortably.  
William looked over to Samuel. "What text has taken your attention?" He asked, taking one last drink before placing his now empty cup back on the bedside table.  
Samuel hummed and peeked at the front cover real quick before opening up to the page where he left off, "The Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." He mused softly, starting to scan over where he was before looking over at William's book, "What are you reading?"  
William looked down at his book, showing Samuel the cover of an advanced Chemistry textbook. He shrugged at Samuel's incredulous face, going back to reading. "It is interesting."  
Samuel scanned over the page, "Huh." He shrugged and leaned back against the headboard, opening up his book a bit wider, groaning softly when he remembered something, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a pair of reading glasses, sliding them over his nose and smiled to himself as he started to read.  
William glanced up at Samuel, looking back down at his book before doing a double take. He stared at Samuel with shock. "You have glasses...?"  
Samuel glanced over at him, "Yeah. They're just for reading though." He said in a bit of a question, "You've seen me wear them before, right?"  
William shook his head slowly, his mouth still open in shock. "I-I do not believe I ever have, actually."  
"Huh." He shrugged, tipping his nose down a bit to look over his glasses at William, "I don't look too terrible, do I?" He grinned, knowing full well how the rectangular glasses worked quite well with his face structure.  
William flushed slightly, snapping his mouth shut as he buried his nose in his textbook. "I-ah, y-you look perfectly fine..." He mumbled.  
"Aww, thanks, babe." He cooed, wrapping and arm around the shorter man's shoulders and pulling him close, kissing his temple before looking back at his own book casually, allowing his arm to hang around William's neck.  
William flushed a little darker at Samuel's actions. "Ahem, ah, no problem..." William cleared his throat, pressing his face closer to his book. He squirmed on the spot slightly.  
Samuel hummed softly, his voice slowly going quiet as he fell deeper into the world of the book, soon becoming hooked and lost to the words on the pages.  
William couldn't stay focused on his book, eventually just putting it down and leaning his head back with a sigh. After awhile, William looked over at Samuel. "I am going to go take a bath. Would you to join me or would you rather stay here and read?"  
Samuel rested his head ontop of William's for a moment before finishing up the page and looking down at his lover, "I think a bath sounds GREAT right now." He smiled softly, putting the piece of paper back in place and marking where he left off.  
William grinned, pulling the covers off and getting out of bed. He started towards the bathroom, turning on the tub and starting to draw a bath.  
Samuel set his book aside and followed behind William, closing the bathroom door behind himself and leaning against it with a lazy grin.  
William tested the water, checking to see if it was the right temperature before standing up and starting to strip. He was still facing away from Samuel at this point, quietly humming an oddly familiar piano tune to himself.  
Samuel started to do the same, glancing at William's figure now and again as he did so, "So you heard me play then, huh?" He asked quietly, pulling the band from his hair and letting his black locks fall around his shoulders.  
William looked at Samuel over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised. "Play?" He asked, pulling off the last of his clothes then reaching over to turn the water off.  
William looked at Samuel over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised. "Play?" He asked, pulling off the last of his clothes then reaching over to turn the water off.  
Samuel nodded, "I played that song on the piano that first night we met. Well, it was pretty late. I didn't think you would hear it." He shrugged and slid his pants and boxers off, folding them over his arm along with his shirt, all the scars across his body exposed for William to see. He didn't seem self-conscious about them, Samuel knew William had seen them before.  
William scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "Well then, I guess that solves the mystery then. I thought that I had heard it on the radio, but I see I was mistaken. I did not know you played the piano as well as the trumpet." William shrugged, stepping into the half-full tub. A shiver went through his whole body before he started to lower himself down. "Ooh! That's hot!"  
Samuel blinked a few times, "Huh. I saw you had an old piano in one of the rooms? I could play for you sometime." He grinned softly, carefully stepping into the tub behind William, lowering himself down into the water and letting his legs slide to William's sides, leaning back against the wall with a pleasant sigh, "Feels good to me." He grinned, closing his eyes.  
William sighed, leaning his head back on Samuel's shoulder before sinking down so that his face was half submerged. He head was leaning against Samuel's stomach and his knees were barely sticking out of the tub beside Samuel's as his eyes slid shut.  
Samuel slid further down into the warm water, sighing out softly as he lightly massaged William's shoulders soothingly. He started to hum a quiet tune as he rubbed small circles into his shoulder blades.   
William sat up with a groan. He leaned forward and crossed his arms on his knees before placing his head on his forearms. He melted into Samuel's touch as his tension melted away.  
Samuel grinned to himself, putting a little more mussel into rubbing the smaller man's back, happy that he was able to help him relax. The taller man lightly hooked his ankles around William's.  
William moaned aloud as Samuel dug his thumbs into the juncture of his neck and shoulders. He smiled deliriously as he looked at Samuel out of the corner of his eye. "Keep going right there..." He mumbled.  
Samuel hummed pleasantly, continuing his actions, leaning in a bit more as he rubbed deep circles into William's back, "Like that?" he purred in the man's ear.  
William hummed in agreement, relaxing further. "Just like that..." He murmured. "Sweet science, you're good at massages..."  
Samuel smiled softly, "Thank you. My mother asked for them quite often." He hummed, leaning over and kissing Willam's shoulder gently.  
William turned his head, placing a kiss to Samuel's forehead before sitting up straight, his head still hung as he placed his hands on the bottom of the tub between his mid-thighs.  
Samuel raised an eyebrow, asking softly, "Are you alright, love?" He continued to massage the smaller man's tense back, trying to work kinks out and hopefully make William melt.  
William nodded slightly, lolling his head over his shoulder to look at Samuel with a dazed smile. "I am absolutely amazing... Do not st-stAH-" William arches his back when Samuel digs into his lower back. He relaxes almost immediately, melting even more with a sigh.  
"Sorry!" He said quietly, continuing on, lightly grazing his nails along William's skin now and again, admiring how smooth his skin was in comparison to his own. He sighed quietly, contently, "How do you even get this tense?" Samuel asked quietly.  
William sighs happily. He shrugs, looking up at the ceiling. "Stress." He said simply. He eventually leaned back onto Samuel, leaning his head back on the younger man's shoulder with a smile.  
"Mm.. I know how that goes." He said quietly, wrapping his arms around William's middle and resting his chin on his shoulder, brushing his lips against his cheek. "Hey, William?"  
"Hm?" William asked, turning his head slightly to look up at Samuel. "What is it..?"  
William giggled. He kissed Samuel back with a smile. "I love you as well, Samuel."


	11. Addiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some drug and past abuse mention in this one

Samuel smiled brightly, his bright yellow eyes alight with glee, burying his face into William's shoulder happily, "That's the first time you've ever said that to me.." He breathed softly, laughing lightly to himself as he pulled William close to himself.  
William's eyebrows shot up. "Really? I apologise, then, for never speaking my mind before." William nuzzled his cheek against Samuel's with a smile.  
Samuel laughed softly, relief washing over him and allowing his body relax against William's back, "It's alright, it's alright. I think I got the message." He purred happily, pressing kisses to the shorter man's shoulders and neck.  
William hummed in content, revelling in the attention Samuel was lathing on him. "You are the best boyfriend I have had so far..." William sighed out, his eyes closed and his face a mask of serenity.  
Samuel chuckled lowly, "I could say the same about you." He hummed softly, a hand resting on the man's stomach just under the water, "You let me care for you, show you affection, and at the same time, you keep me on my toes." He laughed softly, "You're wonderful," he placed a light kiss on his shoulder, "brilliant," a kiss on his neck, "and amazing." He whispered, kissing his jawline.  
William laughed at Samuel's praise. "Not many have complimented me and shown me the extent of their affection as you have, let alone the amount of affection you have." William smiled, turning over slowly so as not to spill the water out of the already-full tub. He sighed happily as he kissed Samuel with a smile.  
"How could I not?" He grinned softly at the man, tilting his head as he kissed him back, pulling back just enough to say, "I've been saving it all for someone special." He murmured quietly before meeting William's soft lips again.  
William chuckled again, kissing Samuel with fervour as he wrapped his arms around Samuel's neck, pulling himself up a bit.  
Samuel gently rested his hands on William's hips and helped him sit up on his legs, his lidded eyes falling closed as he kissed the man back passionately.  
William sighed into the kiss, before pulling back to rest his forehead against Samuel's. "As much as I would love to stay here forever, the water is starting to get a tad bit chilly..."  
Samuel groaned softly, "Will, you're being a dick right now you know that?" He huffed and kept a firm hand on the man's hip, "First at two in the morning and now this. I just can't win." He whined, smirking at William to let him know he was just messing around with him.  
William frowned slightly. "Well excuse me, Rapunzel, but I would much rather fuck when I have a good nights sleep and am clean." William stuck his tongue out at Samuel before standing up and stepping out of the tub. He grabbed one of the towels hanging on the rack and wrapped it around his waist after drying off any and all water in his hair. William grabbed a towel for Samuel as well, waiting patiently for him to get out.  
Samuel rolled his eyes, "I wasn't talking about fucking, I just meant kissing." He groaned as he got out of the tub, nodding and taking the towel from William, turning his back to him to dry off his hair first then his body, several long, deep scars running down his spine and shoulder blades. Belt lashes.  
William bit his lip, frowning sadly at Samuel's back. He hesitantly reached out, tracing some of the deeper scars with a sad look on his face.  
Samuel froze in place at the touch, a chill running up his spine as William traced the more prominent scars. Sure, it had been years ago, but.. they sill haven't completely faded it seemed. He slowly breathed out and closed his eyes, wrapping the towel around his waist lightly.  
William leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to the centre worst scar. It stretched almost all the way across his back, from shoulder to back. "Where did you even get all these...?" He mumbled, not pressing for answers, but instead continuing to leave butterfly kisses on all the scars he could reach.  
Samuel's ears turned a light pink as he closed his golden eyes, humming quietly at the little kisses. "I.. It's not a pretty story, that one." He knew well that William had seen his scars before, but not in full light. The taller man felt like he wanted to cover himself up, but he didn't move, allowing the shorter man to touch and kiss his scars.  
William sighed out, wrapping his arms around Samuel. He rested his head between the taller man's shoulder blades. "Tell me anyway. We have all the time in the world..." He murmured.  
Samuel opened his eyes and tried to turn to look at William, letting a breath through his nose and resting his hands over William's. His voice was quiet when he started, "My father.. was never the same after my other passed. He slipped into a bad habit of drinking away his worries. But in return for that.. be became manipulative and abusive. Cold.." He shook his head, "Never was the same man after it all. On his bad nights.. it would end with me bleeding on the kitchen floor, knocked out." He lightly rubbed the scars on his arms, "Blamed me in the morning for having the blood stain the tiles.." He bit his lip and drew a long, shaky breath, "The, ah, worse scars there were from when h-he.. When he tied my wrists to the arm of the couch and took his belt to my back.. It stung like holy hell, but I didn't need stitches, thank god.." He scratched at the old stitches on his right arm.  
William squeezed Samuel tighter, his lips pursed slightly. He pulled away after awhile, allowing Samuel to turn towards him. William then pulled Samuel into an even tighter hug than before. "I apologise for everything you have had to go through..."  
Samuel wrapped his arms around William's shoulders and hugged him back, shaking his head, "No. It wasn't your fault in the slightest. I just.. wasn't strong enough at the time to stand up for myself.. And he's gone now, so I have nothing to fear anymore from him." He placed a soft kiss to William's forehead.  
William smiled against Samuel's chest, closing his eyes. He eventually released his grasp, moving towards the door. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt the moment, but I would love to go back to sleep now... If you do not mind joining me..."  
Samuel's smile was soft as he walked behind the smaller man and took his hand, "I would be honored." He said softly, the tips of his long black hair still wet from the bath, but he couldn't care less. The thin man followed William across the familiar bedroom and to the bed, sitting and laying down with the stronger-built man.  
William pulled the covers up and over them both after removing his towel. He turned over and away from Samuel, sighing contentedly when the younger man automatically slotted up against him.  
Samuel wasn't really tired himself, but he knew how much William worked himself to the bone, so it was really no trouble as acting as his personal pillow from time to time. The taller man rolled onto his back and re-adjusted them so the scientist's head rested in the nook of his shoulder and neck comfortably. He kissed the man's head with a soft smile and kept his arm wrapped around his shoulders lightly.  
William slid his arm across Samuel's chest to wrap it around his neck. He pulled himself up so that his head rested comfortably underneath Samuel's chin. He smiled tiredly, starting to drift off.  
And with a tired, pleasant smile, Samuel drifted off along with the smaller man. His mind completely at peace with the world.

Later on, the two men were up and moving around finally. Samuel in the kitchen scrawling on the paperwork stack he brought along with him from work while William worked in his lab. And it wasn't until just after dinner that Chris finally stumbled into the house, his shirt caller esque and untucks from his pants as his suspenders hung at his sides. Dark bags under his eyes as he closed the door with an obnoxious giggle.  
William looked at Chris in surprise as he stumbled about, quickly taking on a hint of concern in his features when he realised what was going on. "Chris." He said sternly.  
The boy giggles and sauntered over to the couch, plopping down onto it all sprawled out, "Eyyy Daddy-o." He giggled lowly, his head leaning back at an odd angle onto the back of the couch.  
William frowned, glancing at Samuel momentarily before walking up to Chris. He put a hand under Chris' chin, forcing him to make eye contact. William's lips pursed into a thin line as he went back into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of water. He sat down next to Chris after helping him sit up, the boy half-delirious. "Chris, drink this." He insisted.  
Chris just gave him a stupid smile as he looked up at the man, his eyes somewhat bloodshot as his vision was blurred.   
When William returned, he compliantly drank the water with a soft sigh, leaning his weight more onto William as he was not able to fully support himself anymore. "Thanks, doc." He slurred.  
William had a worried expression on his face, but chose to say nothing. Instead he nodded curtly as he took the cup back from Chris and put it on the table. He picked Chris up like a baby, carrying him towards the stairs and up to his room to put him to bed.  
Chris laughed a bit and threw and arm over his shoulders, "Haha, where're we goin'? Gonna dump me outside in the yard like sister dearest does?" The silver-haired teen quietly groaned, "Must be a goooooood night for motherfuckin' stargazing." He chuckled out again, letting his head lull back and hang upside-down as William started to head upstairs to his bedroom.  
William took a deep breath, keeping his mouth shut. He didn't trust himself to speak. He quickly pushed Chris' door open, and laid him down on the bed. William pulled the covers up and over Chris after removing his boots, then headed to the door. He looked back at Chris once, a hand coming up to his mouth as he held back a sob before quickly turning off the lights and closing the door.  
Chris waved a bit before letting his arm flop over his eyes as he almost instantly falls asleep, a stupid grin plastered on his face. 

As William came downstairs, Samuel was there to meet him with concern in his golden eyes, "What was that about..?" He asked softly, opening his arms up a bit so he could hug William.  
William looked at Samuel, his lip trembling slightly before he sat down heavily on the couch, burying his head in his hands. "I am a fucking terrible father." He muttered.  
Samuel knit his eyebrows together and sat down next to him, draping an arm across his back, "No, you're not, William.." He replied in a gentle tone as he lightly rubbed the man's back.  
William turned his head to look at Samuel, tears streaming down his face. "What father does not know that his son has been doing cocaine?!" He snaps back, burying his face back in his hands.  
Samuel blinked a few times rapidly, "He-He what??" When he first met Chris, he didn't think him for a drug addict. But.. it made sense now that he thought about it. Always fidgeting, getting out of the house often and not coming home until late in the evening, the money problem he mentioned.. Samuel bit his lip as he pulled William into a tight hug, "... One who hasn't seen his son for seven years..? People.. change.." He said slowly.  
William clung to Samuel, crying softly. "This is all my fault, I did this to him..." He mumbled, barely understood through his sobs.  
The taller man shook his head firmly, "No, it's not your fault, William." He pulled away just enough so he could look at his face, "They left your care when they were young- years past for god's sake.. who's to say they didn't pick it up on their own or from a worse person who took them in..?" He sighed softly, gently wiping his tears away from his cheek.  
William frowned, sniffling loudly. "I had taken them to places where they may have been exposed to drugs in the first place when they were younger. Who knows what happened whilst I was busy?" William looked down before resting his forehead on Samuel's shoulder. "The probability of the two of them picking it up from someone else is high, admittedly...." He trailed off with a sigh.  
Samuel listened closely to him and nodded, lightly running a hand through his ashy-brown hair, "Perhaps.. but again, it's no where near your fault, Will.. Just.. think about it, you have no idea how long he's been doing it for- or if this was just his first time. Heck, Chris could have just picked it up a few years ago from someone on the streets.. William, look at me." He said softly, lightly nudging him lightly- but not forcing the man to look up.  
William's eyes were still watering, his face grim. However he still reluctantly looked up at Samuel, if only to appease him slightly.  
Samuel gently kissed his forehead and held William close, "You have done nothing wrong, love. This is not your doing and you shouldn't beat yourself over it.." He continued to rub his back as he rested his cheek against the smaller man's head.  
William shook his head slightly. "I could have prevented it if I had stayed in touch with them. I could have stopped him after the first time, I could have stopped him. I could have done SOMETHING yet I did absolutely NOTHING." William's voice started to waver even more throughout his tired, tears spill oh my god freely yet again. "I was not responsible. I should have continued to look after them, forced the agency to let them stay, something..."  
"William. That's in the past.. that's important is now.." He gave him a soft yet stern look in the eye, "We'll speak with Chris in the morning when he comes to.." He lightly cupped William's cheek in his hand and ran his thumb lightly over the man's cheek, "But I think you need sleep.. you're going to kill yourself with all this stress." Samuel tried to smile, hoping to give the man a little light back in the current dark pit he seemed to be trapped in.  
William placed a hand gently on top of Samuel's, nuzzling into it slightly before sighing and letting his eyes slip shut. "A-alright..." He breathed. "I just... I need..." He took another deep breath before continuing. "If it is alright I need to attend to something in the lab..." William bit his lip, as if the sentence was not quite finished, yet he remained silent.  
Samuel nodded slightly, "Of course. Is there anything you need me to do? Make you a cup of tea to help you relax..?" He offered gently, carefully helping the smaller man to his feet while keeping a hand on William's back with the other still gingerly caressing his soft cheek.  
William pressed his lips together, shaking his head before turning away from Samuel. "No thank you, I can manage on my own. I shall be up in a few hours..." 'Hopefully' his mind added afterwards.  
Samuel bit his lip and nodded slowly, "If you need anything just shout, alright? I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.." He let the man go back to his lap, not really wanting to think what the hell he could be doing in there. Samuel sighed to himself and went back to where he was at the kitchen table, his mind reeling now. William, Chris, cocaine, addiction, alcohol, abuse, blood.. Samuel shook his head, trying to get the thoughts from his head as he tried to get back to work.

Hours later, William returned. The man was clearly exhausted, both mentally and physically, as he crawled into bed.  
Samuel was already straitening up his papers quickly and heading up the stairs when he heard the lab door open. He looked over at William sadly and tenderly ran a hand through his messy hair. "Things will be okay.." Samuel whispered to his love.  
William turned over and away from Samuel, curling up into a ball. He mumbled a quick goodnight before falling silent.  
Samuel blinked and sighed sadly, laying down, his front still facing William but not touching him. He didn't want to hurt him so he really didn't know what to do. "Good night, Will." He said quietly before resting his head against the pillow and drifting off.

-the next morning-  
William crawled out of bed, not much sleep gotten that night. He looked over at Samuel, still sleeping soundly and peacefully despite the early morning rays gracing his face. William smiled before quietly shutting the door behind him and making his way towards Chris' room. He opened the door carefully, peaking his head in.  
In his bedroom, Chris sat on the edge of his bed with his legs dangling over the side. His elbows rested on his knees with his head in his hands. His sliver head bobbed up and looked at William, clear signs of exhaustion across his face, "Oh.. morning, dad.." He murmured quietly.  
William gave Chris a look of concern, shutting the door behind him. "Morning. How did you sleep?" He asked hesitantly.  
Chris laughed weakly, "Like shit." He replied his voice mostly flat but still had a bit of light in it as usual, "I take it you didn't sleep well either, huh?"  
William shook his head, moving over to the bed to sit next to Chris. "How..." William hesitated, unsure of how to ask. He took a deep breath then continued. "How long has... this ...been going on?"  
Chris was confused- a slight bit oblivious at that. "What.. do you mean..?" He asked slowly.  
William froze. "Your- you came home high last night..." He said quietly.  
Chris blinked once. Twice. "Oh.. I.." He looked around the room, seeming to just now realize he was back at William's house in his old bedroom, "I guess I did.." The silver-haired teen bit his lip.  
William frowned. "How long." He said in a stern tone that was equal parts a question and a demand for an answer.  
Chris let his hands fall into his lap, suddenly tense, "I.." He chewed his lip a bit more before finally reply with a sigh, "Past two or three years now, I suppose.. It just.. helps me escape for a little while.." He knew damn well that wasn't a good answer, but, that was his reasoning for it.  
William let out a sigh of relief, surprising Chris. "Oh sweet science..." He muttered burying his face in his hand with a forced laugh as a few tears fell down his face. "I did not do this to you..."  
Chris gave him a slightly odd look, "Wha- Of course not! Nobody "did this to me". If anything, you were the best influence on me and Cherry compared to the other asswipes that took us in and dumped us a week later." He rose his eyebrow at William.  
William wiped his eyes, smiling sadly before looking back up at Chris. "I was so worried that I had fucked you two up so much, I just..." William rubbed his face tiredly. "Apologies... I am still a bit out of sorts..."  
Chris slowly reached a shy hand out and rested it on William's shoulder, "Dad, no.. You helped us more than anything but.." Chris sagged his shoulders, "Look, I know I'm fucked up for wanting to so this, but it really helps. It.. makes me feel like I'm not a freak for once- that I don't have to give a single damn in the world.. You understand.. right, dad?" He asked cautiously.  
William nods. "I... I definitely understand your rational..." He purses his lips slightly as if contemplating whether or not to continue or leave.  
Chris sucked in a breath, "You.. you're not mad at me..?" He asked in a shaky voice. "Ch-Cherry certainly doesn't agree with it.. she's seething that I haven't paid him back yet for it all.." He murmured quietly.  
William snapped to attention. "Him? Who is it you owe?" William softened slightly. "No, I could never be mad at you."  
Chris jumped back when William snapped up, suddenly the boy was on the offence, "N-Nothing! Nobody!" He blurted out.  
William narrowed his eyes slightly, before his shoulders slumped. He put his head in his hands. "Whom is it you owe, Chris?" He asked again without looking up.  
Chris blinked a few times, "You.. You wouldn't know him." He said quietly, rubbing his arm nervously, biting his bottom lip once again.  
William chuckled darkly. "I know a great many of people, Chris. I doubt there are people in this town that I do not know of...." He looked up, his mouth hidden by interlaced fingers.  
The silver-haired teen didn't quite know how to respond to that. He turned away from his father for a moment, allowing himself to maul it over in his mind before he turned back and sat cross-legged on the bed, head low in shame, "His name is Jerith.. He.. was the guy from the dance parlor we went to a few weeks ago.." He shut his eyes tight as his body started to shake, "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner- but I didn't want to because I saw the way you and Samuel acted around him that night. I was afraid." Chris said quickly, his voice quivering, "Please- please don't do anything rash, dad. He threatens that if anybody tries anything in my defense, he'll send people after me and Cherry." He clutched the fabric of the sheets as his body shook violently, tears starting to roll down his face, "I keep going back because I NEED my fixes.. I'm in debt yes, but he's letting me work to pay it off.. I don't like a second of it, but it counts as payment for him." Chris brought his hands to his face, trying to hide his falling tears.  
William closes his eyes, seething. "He threatened you. With bodily harm." William takes a deep breath, opening his blazing eyes. He looks at Chris before standing up abruptly. He places a kiss on Chris' forehead before walking towards the door, clearly furious.  
Chris snapped his head up, "Dad! Wait!" He sprung up and grabbed the smaller man's arm, squeezing it lightly, "Please don't do anything stupid.." His eyes were wet from tears but were stern and had a glimmer of fear behind them.  
William glared at Chris before his eyes softened slightly. "I am merely going to speak with him, Chris. Please unhand me."  
Chris hesitated, holding his father's gaze for a moment longer before asking, "Take Samuel with you." He finally said, releasing his grip on his father's arm and stepping back, hugging himself as anxiety started to coil in his stomach and tie it in knots.  
William shook his head. "I can manage myself perfectly fine, Chris. I will be back within the hour, do not worry." He places his hands on Chris' shoulders. "I will be alright, Chris." He placed another kiss too Chris' forehead and smiling before whisking away to get dressed. Soon William was striding confidently down the street, expertly hailing a taxi to take him to Jerith.


	12. Folie de trois

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... This one gets a bit depressing...  
> And if I haven't said it before, the asterisks around a word or phrase means it is bolded/emphasised.

After William left the house Chris went strait to their room to wake up Samuel. He had to warn him about what was to unfold.  
William soon arrived at the club, which was closed as it was the early morning. He impatiently knocked on the door, which swung open after a few moments to reveal Jerith. The taller man grinned devilishly, his eyes slipping halfway closed. "Kitten! To what do I owe the *pleasure* of your visit? I see you dropped the mutt... Are your little pups here too?" William frowned up at Jerith, crossing his arms. "We need to talk." He seethed, pushing bodily past Jerith. Jerith stumbled slightly, but smiled even wider.  
"Whatever about, Kitten?" Jerith asked as he closed the door behind William. William glared at Jerith, thumping him in the chest hard with two fingers. "You threatened my children with bodily harm, *Jerith* , that is 'whatever about' we need to talk about. You got them hooked on hard drugs, then threatened to send people after them if they did not comply. What the fuck is wrong with you?!" William shouted. Jerith grinned even wider, a feat that didn't seem possible, as he grabbed ahold of William's tie. He lifted the shorter man onto his toes as he himself bent down to kiss William roughly. William's eyes widened in fury as he attempted to push Jerith away, but let out a strangled cry as his tie was tightened considerably. William let out a gasp, attempting to get a breath. Jerith took the opportunity to deepen the kiss further by forcing his tongue into William's now open mouth. William bit down on the man's tongue, taking in a loud breath as he loosened his tie. He glared daggers at Jerith, positively seething now. "How. Fucking. *DARE* . You?!" He managed through gritted teeth. Jerith wiped his mouth, spitting out a glob of blood before grinning again. "Oh baby, you remembered~" he purred. William took a step towards Jerith before a blinding pain erupted in the back of his head, causing him to collapse unconscious on the floor. Jerith smiled at the worker that had knocked out William, then grinned again. "Oh kitten, we are going to have *SO* much fun when you wake up..."  
Slowly waking up from a haze, William felt numb. The tips of his fingers tingling as he felt a weight straddling his hips. He cracked his eyes open slowly and shook his head, trying to focus his vision- but all he could pick up was a vague human figure piercing something into his neck. William twinged in pain and tried to swat the hand away, but found that both his wrists were bound as well as his ankles. Finally waking up fully, the smaller man started to struggle, pulling at the ropes and the person holding him down.  
Jerith grinned wickedly, removing the needle from William's neck. He picked up a collar from beside him and placed it around William's neck. He tightened it almost unbearably before loosening it slightly, an insistent but unthreatening reminder. "There, kitten, now you're all ready~" Jerith sat back on his haunches, putting his head in one hand as he admired his handiwork. William looked down fearfully, seeing that he was completely naked save for the ropes that kept his legs spread and in place and the collar around his neck. William flushed, eyes shooting back up to Jerith's face. Jerith leaned forward, placing a soft kiss to William's lips. William struggled, slowing down eventually until he had sagged completely in his bonds, letting Jerith kiss him. 'What was I doing ?" He thought sluggishly. Jerith sat in his lap, starting to grind slowly against him as he continued to kiss William tenderly. 'Where am I...? I'm... I'm in *Jerith's room* ...? We were... He's *rewarding me* for my *good behaviour* at the show tonight...? Yes... That's it... *that must be it...* ' William half-smiled in his stupor, the drug Jerith injected in him working its way through his system as the taller man ground more and more insistently against him.  
Jerith shook his head, chuckling lowly as he wagged a finger. "Quite the contrary, kitten! You've been very naughty! You refused a customer tonight, and they were very displeased~" William nodded his head slightly in agreement, lolling his head onto one of the arms bound above his head. "Yes, I apologise... They..." William furrowed his brow in confusion as Jerith kissed him again, trying to remember what they had done.  
Meanwhile, Chris had gone and shook Samuel awake, panic in his voice, "Samuel! Samuel please get up!"  
The older man mumbled and groaned, rolling over with a pillow over his head, "If William set the kitchen on fire, just put it out with baking soda.." He grumbled.  
In a panic, Chris ripped off the blankets and pulled the pillow from Samuel's face, exposing his unshaven, and VERY unamused look. "I'M NOT KIDDING AROUND! DAD- WILLIAM IS IN DANGER!" The boy shrieked. And that got Samuel to shoot into an upright position.  
"What happened?" He asked, the sleep from his voice completely replaced with seriousness and concern. "Where is William?"  
"He went to go talk to Jerith about my drug situation! And knowing him.. William is in more trouble that he thinks.." Chris swallowed and pulled Samuel up out of the bed, "C'MON! WE GOTTA GO HELP HIM!" He yelled again, but this time, Samuel was up and right behind him heading for the door.  
Tying his hair back, Samuel swiftly grabbed the loaded pistol William kept in the bedside table drawer and slid it into his belt, fire in his eyes as he ran down the stairs and beat Chris to the front door. "Wait here. I'll bring him home." And before Chris could respond, Samuel was out the door and driving down the street into town. He promised William he wouldn't let anybody hurt him. And he wasn't about to break his promise now.  
William smiled dopily at Jerith's actions. Jerith grinned at William's compliance, grinding against William with fervour as he kissed at William's jaw. He moaned out, grinding back up sloppily. Jerith moved so that his fly was unbuttoned with his nimble hands. William groaned out as Jerith started to grind even more insistently against him. A loud bang outside caused William to look at the door confused. "What's...goin...?" William slurred out. Jerith growled biting down on William's lip, causing the shorter man to moan again. The door slammed open, Samuel panting with a gun in his hand.  
Samuel snarled loudly, baring his k-nines and storming over to Jerith, tearing him off of William's body, "WHO GAVE YOU THE FUCKING RIGHT?!" He yelled, slamming the bedroom door behind him shut and locking it so nobody could get in and disturb him. Samuel's golden eyes flaming red as he walked over and lifted Jerith's head by a fistful of his blond hair. He held the cool metal of the pistol to the lanky man's head.  
William writhed his hips and whined when he lost contact, his head falling back at an unnatural angle as he tried to press his legs together. In his current state, he was unable to fully comprehend what was going on, only knowing pleasure and denial. Jerith on the other hand was fully aware, chuckling darkly as he licked his lips. "Oh, looks like the mutt got himself a toy~ Tell me, pup, what do you plan on doing with that?"  
Samuel was seething, stealing a glance to make sure William was alright, seeing he was basically so, turned his attention back to the writhing weakling under his iron grip. "Either ridding the earth of another shit pile or simply-" And with a quick motion, he smacked the butt of the gun and knocked the man out, letting him crimple to the floor in a pile.  
William had his eyes closed, whimpering pathetically. He was unaware of his captor's departure from consciousness. As soon as he felt Samuel start to untie him, he started to thrash uncontrollably, straining hard against his bonds. His eyes were wide and feral as his head snapped forward to stare at Samuel unblinkingly, pupils blown wide.  
Samuel flinched slightly, using a soft, gentle voice to try and sooth William, "Shh shh shh, hey, it's alright. I'm here now, I'm here.." He untied William's feet and helped the smaller man sat up, pulling him into a close hug and kissing his cheek- "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry I wasn't here sooner." He pulled away and held William's face in his hands, lightly stroking his cheeks with his thumbs as he held back tears, "Did he hurt you?" He asked, adrenalin slowly wearing off.  
William clung to Samuel, babbling as he tried to grind against him. "N-need-got to-wann-na-plea-please-have to-" He started to fumble with Samuel's trousers, trying to get them open. The drug was still running rampant through William's system, nothing else in his mind but pleasing his partner.  
Samuel's eyes widened as he tried to keep William's hands away, "Will- William! Stop it!" He said a bit sternly, gripping his arms to his sides and looking him in the eye, "This isn't you, Will." Samuel's eyebrows were knit together in concern, "You're- You're on a drug. We gotta get you home." He said before kissing his partner's forehead and laying him on the bed, re-buttoning his pants and wrapping the smaller man up into a thick blanket to keep him from getting his hands over him again. Samuel spotted William's clothes on the floor and grabbed them up, tucking them under his arm along with the gun in his pants before he picked the smaller man up and headed for the door and out to the car. Nobody was around to question it, thank god.  
William squirmed in Samuel's arms, pressing sloppy, open-mouthed kisses to Samuel's jaw and neck. His arms were wrapped tightly around Samuel's shoulders, supporting him easily. "Pleeease..." William whimpered in Samuel's ear as he was set down in the backseat of the car. He pulled Samuel down on top of him, moaning when the taller man's body became flush with his own. "P-plea-ease..." He stuttered out, grinding up towards Samuel's hips.  
Samuel steeled himself. This wasn't the man he feel in love with. This wasn't William. He pulled himself off of the man and buckled him into the seat, pulling the blanket up more so he would be comfortable. "You really want to please me?" He asked the drugged man flatly.  
William groaned again, leaning into the front seat and pressed a wet kiss to the side of Samuel's mouth as he nodded again. He put a hand on the opposite side of Samuel's face to turn him towards him, unfettered by Samuel's pulling away from him.  
Samuel, trying to keep his cool, pushed William back into the seat, "No touching me until we get to the house. And when we get there, you're going to drink a LOT of water and going strait to bed to sleep whatever the fuck is inside of you off." He gave William a stern look, showing him he wasn't joking around. He knew if the shorter man pulled anything, he'd probably make him drive into a ditch.  
William's face fell and he gave out a strangled wail. "T-too lo-n-no I-now-ple-pleas-" William managed. He fell back into the backseat, laying facedown onto the leather with a groan. He pulled the blanket tightly around himself as he shifted his hips against the seat.  
Samuel exhaled through his nose, trying to calm himself before he started up the car, gripping the wheel with white knuckles anyway as he pulled away from the wretched dance building. He kept glancing back to William as he bit his lip. And then, a thought came to him, he doubted that it would work, but it would calm William down a bit. Taking a slow breath, eyes glued to the road, Samuel started to hum a soft tune, slowly getting louder as he went on, hoping to catch the man in the back seats attention.  
William bit his hand with a groan, trying to keep himself from getting off before they got home, the humming calming him ever so slightly. He eventually curled up in a ball with the blanket wrapped tightly around him, soft whimpers escaping his lips from time to time. Eventually they arrived at the house, Samuel getting out of the car and meeting a worried Chris on the front steps. They left William in the car for the time being as they spoke, who was slowly growing more restless as time passed.  
Samuel quickly directed for Chris to bring a large glass of water upstairs for William, waiting for Chris to run inside before he turned back to the car, looking into the window at the scientist. He kneed his bottom lip between his teeth as he carefully opened the car door and unbuckled the smaller man from his seat, re-wrapping him up in the blanket before picking him up and carrying him inside, keeping his face strait and cold.  
William moaned out when Samuel picked him up, greedily latching back onto Samuel's neck. His face was flushed a dark red and it traveled all the way down to his chest where it was cut off by the blanket obscuring it. Samuel quickly climbed up the stairs, do as to spare Chris the embarrassment of seeing his dad so debauched. He unceremoniously dumped William in his bed, quickly going to the door and shutting it most of the way as Chris came to it with the water. William gasped out when he hit the bed, attempting to untangle himself from the blanket and get to Samuel.  
Samuel took the glass and sternly told Chris to stay downstairs. Chris nodded weakly and headed off, closing the door behind himself with a loud click. With a deep breath, Samuel turned on his heel and headed back towards the bed, narrowing his eyes at the man, "Be still." He said as he sat on the edge of their shared bed. He carefully leaned over and helped William sit up, "Drink this." He suggested quietly, holding the glass to William's lips for him.  
William shook his head fervently, pushing the glass away and onto the bed before grabbing Samuel's head and smashing their lips together. He kissed Samuel heatedly, clambering quickly into Samuel's lap.  
Samuel somehow saved the glass so it didn't completely spill out onto the mattress, setting it aside before sternly pulling away from the kiss. He couldn't give in. It wasn't right. Not with William like.. this. Samuel gripped the man's arms tightly and pushed him away a bit, keeping him on his lap for the time being but making it so he was a good foot away from his face. "William, stop this. THIS isn't YOU." He almost begged, lightly squeezing his arms, but not hurting him.  
William froze, completely still before flinching slightly in a delayed reaction. His eyes widened with fear. "I-I-I am sorry... I did not- d-d-don't hurt me Jerith... I-i promise I'll be good n-now-" William scrambled off of Samuel's lap and lay down on the bed. "S-S-see...? I-I'm good now, y-yo-you do-n't need-d to-"  
Samuel felt something rip his heart out and throw it into his stomach like a rock to the face. The taller man shakily reached out and took William's hand gently, "William.. I'm not Jerith. It's me.. Samuel." His voice was almost broken sounding as he leaned forward, looking William in the eye, "Please.. Please snap out of it and just LOOK at me.. See that it is me and not that bastard.."  
William furrowed his brow in confusion. "Wh-wha-who-what's going-where am-" He babbled. He shook his head as if to clear his muddled thoughts. 'Maybe Jerith *sent a friend to help...?* ' He thought with a small frown as he stared up at the ceiling. His face broke out in a grin. 'Yes, that's it! This *IS a reward!* ' William bolted upright, face to face with Samuel with a wide grin on his face. He pressed a soft kiss to Samuel's lips, a sharp contrast from the feverous nature he held before. He slowly licked his way into Samuel's mouth, smiling all the while. "Please. Be. Proud." He muttered, punctuating each word with a kiss. "I'll be good this time..."  
Samuel held still, keeping his eyes shut tight as he simply let William have at him, unsure of what else to do. He clutched the sheets to keep himself grounded as he bit his lip and nodded reluctantly, "Yes.. love." He started slowly, "I'm so very proud of you. But not because of the way you kiss me... I'm proud because.. you're brilliant." He said with a flat sigh before kissing William's temple. "But I can't do this. Not with you like.. THIS." He stood up and carefully laid William on the bed, placing another soft kiss on his forehead before backing up a few steps.  
William let out a confused whimper, sitting up as Samuel started to back away. "I-I did somethi-? N-no! He-he'll be ang-don lea-he'll be angry!" William tried to crawl towards Samuel, falling off the bed. He shifted slightly with a groan, seeming mostly unharmed except for a bloody nose now. William didn't move after that, soon falling into a deep sleep.


	13. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwww...sadness... This one has a bit of gore in it, and the start of some smut, so ye.

When the scientist fell, Samuel quickly went to his side once more, using the stolen blanket to help the bleeding stop from his nose. Shaking slightly, he held William's sleeping person close to himself and began to weep quietly into his chest, picking him up once more with the greatest of care and gentle setting him back on the bed. Samuel cleaned the last of the blood off his partner before carefully unbuckling the collar and sliding it off William's neck, biting his lip at the sight of the red markings it left on his skin. The taller man pulled the blankets up to William's chin and gingerly brushed his hair away from his sleeping face. William was so at peace in his sleep, as if nothing had happened just moments prior. Samuel wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand and stood up once more, pulling a chair from the corner to the bed side and sitting in it, waiting for William to wake up once again.  
After a few hours, William sluggishly opened his eyes, his tongue thick and his head pounding. He quickly shut them again as he sat up with a wince, holding his head delicately with one hand. William cautiously cracked open one eye to see Samuel curled up in a chair next to his bed, tear tracks visible on the small sliver William could see of his face. "S-Samuel...?" He asked hesitantly. His other hand shot up to the back of his head as it throbbed painfully. "W-what...?"  
Samuel snapped his head up and breathed a sigh of relief, "You're awake." He smiled weakly at the scientist and got up, leaning over the bed and gingerly kissing his forehead, "Ah- Here, drink this." He reached over and picked up the half-filled glass of water and carefully handed it to William.  
Samuel snapped his head up and breathed a sigh of relief, "You're awake." He smiled weakly at the scientist and got up, leaning over the bed and gingerly kissing his forehead, "Ah- Here, drink this." He reached over and picked up the half-filled glass of water and carefully handed it to William.  
William winced at Samuel's voice, taking the cup with a whispered thanks. "What-what is going on...?" He croaked out after taking a few small sips. "I feel-I feel as if my head was smashed under the wheels of a steam train..." He leaned over towards the bedside table to grab one of the painkillers.  
William's eyes widened as he jerked back away from the bedside table, scrabbling away from it. "Wha- S-Samuel what is going on?!" He demanded, still fearfully staring at the bedside table.  
Samuel jumped a bit and tried to calm William down, "Hey it's okay it's okay. You're home. You're safe." He gingerly reached out and took William's hand in his. "You're safe.." He repeated quietly.  
William squeezed Samuel's hand, still staring at the collar. "Samuel... W-what happened? What I-is going on?"  
Samuel mentally slapped himself for not throwing the damn collar away sooner. "I'm.. sorry.." He hung his head, "When you went to go talk to Jerith.. he.. DID something to you. I think he gave you some kind of drug and.." He slowly shook his head, "I burst in before he could do anything but.." He closed his eyes tightly, "I'm so sorry.."  
William's eyes widened further, his head whipping up to look at Samuel. "Wh- he drugged me?! That-" William froze, immediately remembering the odd gaps in his memory every time he was with Jerith all those years ago. His face fell, realisation dawning on him. "I- I...let this... Happen....." He said slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. "A-a-again.... He has done this before HE-" William's voice cracked as he choked back a sob, his hands coming up to cover his mouth and part of his face. He curled up in a ball, shoulders hunched.  
Samuel sat up on the bed and carefully wrapped his arms around William, pulling him into a tight hug, "Shh shh shh." He said quietly, rubbing his back gently. "You are not at fault for this. It was Jerith. You.. You didn't have control." Samuel really didn't know what to say. What COULD he say? He wasn't there, he honestly doesn't know much of William's past with Jerith or in general.. All he could do was simply hold the man close and try to comfort him.  
William froze when Samuel touched him, leaning away just slightly before stopping himself. 'He's trying to *help* , don't hurt him he's not hurting you be still it'll be alright no it won't be stop *stop STOP* ' William jerked away from Samuel, his grip tight around Samuel's wrist. He blinked in shock, unsure of what had transpired.  
Samuel leaned back, blinking rapidly, freezing in place as William gripped his wrist, "I'm... I'm sorry." the taller man said slowly. He didn't move or pull away further, simply looking into William's vibrant green eyes with concern and the slightest twinge of fear.  
William slowly let go, letting out a shuddering breath before curling back up into a ball, his arms around his head. "C-can- may you please l-leave...? I-I do not- I need to-" William tensed up further.  
Samuel nodded slowly, "Okay.." He hesitated before pulling the covers over William and heading for the door, "Shout if you need anything, alright?" He said quietly before closing the door behind him with a quiet click.   
Leaning back against the heavy wooden door, Samuel slammed his head against it before pushing off and going downstairs out into the backyard. He needed some air.  
William trembled, trying to process what was going on. His thoughts were just a jumble of words and phrases, and his head was throbbing intensely. William stayed in the same position in silence for what seemed like hours, before slowly uncurling himself. He wiped at the mostly dry tear tracks that ran down his face before getting up. He walked over to the closet, pulling on a loose black undershirt and his pyjama bottoms. William stumbled his way downstairs to the lab, ignoring Chris as he passed him.  
Chris looked up from reading the paper and went after William, "Dad! A-Are you okay?" He asked, gently grabbing his shoulder.  
William paused momentarily before continuing on his way. "I will be in my lab if you need me, but it will be awhile before I can do anything else..." He muttered, quietly shutting the lab door behind him.  
Chris flinched and pulled his arm close to his body, biting his lip. He nodded weakly before looking out the window and spotting Samuel sitting on the back porch. The teen headed outside and cautiously sat next to the man, "H-Hey, Samuel.." He said softly. Samuel kept his gaze fixed forward, not staring at anything in particular; his eyes just seemed lost.   
Chris paused before speaking up again, "William just went to his lab..." He sighed quietly, pulling his knees close to his chest, "What.. What happened back there..?" Chris asked quietly.   
Samuel glanced over at him and sighed through his nose, "You don't want to know." He mumbled quietly.   
Chris huffed, "I'm used to William ignoring me, but not you to, man." He narrowed his eyes a bit at the man. Samuel shook his head slowly and rubbed his face, "It's all going to shit.." The taller man sighed out.  
Chris rose his eyebrow at him and Samuel scoffed, "You really want to know what fucking happened?" He snapped out, "William was drugged and molested by that damn bastard Jerith!" He yelled out. "Hah, I fucking found him tied to a bed and high out of his mind because of the seductive drug he injected William with! And now William is feeling like fucking shit and doesn't know how to feel about all of this and I-... I don't know what to DO." Samuel's voice cracked as he held his head in his hands, his body shaking, "He won't even LOOK at me.."  
Chris looked at Samuel with shock. "Wait, what?! Dad was-" Chris' face dropped into a grimace, rubbing Samuel's back in an attempt to soothe him.  
Samuel wanted to slap his arm away, but what good would that do? He let the teen try to calm him down as he took slow breaths, trying keep himself calm. "I'm.. sorry for snapping.." Samuel said quietly.   
Chris nodded sadly "It's okay.. I'm just.. worried about Dad, you know?" He said quietly.   
Samuel nodded back, "Trust me, I feel the same.."  
Chris looked at Samuel, his face filled with worry. "D'you think... Dad'll be okay?" He asked.  
Chris pulled his hand away, instead rubbing his arm in a slightly defensive gesture. "He didn't seem very... Stable..." Chris looked at his feet nervously.  
Samuel shook his head slowly, running a hand through his hair and down his face, "I really don't know, bud.. I'll go talk to him, but right now.. I think the best is to let him have some alone time.." He closed his eyes and took a long breath, letting his mind calm down a bit. "Just give him time.."   
-meanwhile-  
William took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair and leaning against the lab door. He let out a sigh, pushing off in the direction of the wall of drawers. He looked through a bunch of the drawers, wrinkling his nose slightly at the contents of a few of them before finding his stash. William smiled darkly, opening the bottle before taking a long drink. He set the vodka down before continuing his search through the drawers. "Oh good, this one is still quite fresh..." He mumbled aloud, dragging the drawer open completely before pulling out the contents and hefting it onto the metal operating table. "This one will do juuust fiiiine." William murmured, starting to go through the drawers in the table, pulling out his scalpels. He grabbed his bottle, taking another long drink before going to work on the body before him.  
William had to cope somehow, and this was his way of doing it. He never took anything out upon himself, that would just be a waste of time. No, whenever he was depressed or needed to get something off his chest, he would vent through his work. Messy work, yes, but it helped a little bit. Especially when accompanied with his old friend, alcohol.  
Depending on what had happened to put him in such a mood, the cadaver would either have delicate intricacies carved into its flesh, or have much more... *violent* ... markings. Either way, no one bothered William in his lab for the next week, his only reprieve being in the wee hours in the morning when he would sleep, eat, or relieve himself.  
Through the week, Samuel and Chris would take turns attempting to deliver meals to William. They would knock on the lab's door, the leave the plate of food and a cup of tea in front of it. On some of the days, Samuel was almost surprised to find that the food was cleaned from the plate. But he would get a little worried when he found bloody finger-prints on the fork or plate. Finally, after two weeks of hearing nothing from the man, Samuel got fed up, and a bit more than a little worried about his lover. Samuel sent Chris to go to the store to get him out of the house, and when the teen was out of sight, he marched down to the lab and banged on the metal door.  
"Alright, William, that's enough! We have given you your space, but Chris and I are starting to worry about your sorry ass!" He waited a moment then tried opening the door, finding it to be locked up tight. Samuel narrowed his eyes and pounded again, louder this time, "WILLIAM MASBATH OPEN UP ALREADY!"  
Slurred laughter resounded from inside the lab, then a crash. "You jus try'n get in yerself... Heheh..." William mumbled with a groan after a few moments. He had stumbled and dropped the bottle he was holding, accidentally cutting his hand on the glass shards as he struggled to get up.  
Samuel groaned and called in again, "OPEN THIS DOOR BEFORE I HAVE TO KICK IT OPEN, DAMNIT!" He knew he needed to calm himself, he didn't want to be like this when talking face-to-face with William. The taller man took a breath and a step back.  
"Then fuckin' kick it in..." William mumbled, rolling onto his back. 'Can't exactly *get up* myself... *tired* of everything...' He thought. He attempting to get up again, grabbing the side of the operating table and hoisting himself mostly upright before his hand shifted forward and slipped. His head smacked into the table with a dull thud and he let out another groan. "Too fuckin' sober fer this..." He mumbled, turning his head to the side as he rested his full weight against the table.  
Samuel groaned out loud and kneeled down to the door's lock, pulling out two slivers of metal and quickly picking the lock and swinging the door open. "God.." He whispered to himself as he looked around the darkened lab. It was as much of as a mess as it was when he first came here, accepting the job as William's assistant.. It almost seemed like a life time ago. But now it seemed worse than before.   
Samuel strode over to the operation table, trying to ignore the mutilated body laying coldly on it. He stood behind William, waiting a moment before tenderly placing a calloused hand on his back. "William.." He started quietly.  
William startled, his wide eyes shooting up to Samuel's face. "Heeeey b-babe..." He gave a crooked smile. "How'd you get in...?" He slurred out. He sat back on his heels, but his balance was off, so he fell backwards. He arched his back off the ground with a hiss, rolling back over onto his hands to get back away from the glass shards. He gave out a cough before throwing up, then smiling weakly back up at Samuel.  
Samuel jumped back a bit when William fell over, going to his side and helping him sit up slowly, "I picked the lock." Samuel tenderly started picking shards of glass from William's jacket and hair with slightly shaking hands, "You've been drinking.." The lankier man said quietly, brushing William's bangs from his face and looking him in the eye.  
"Well du-uh, what else was I s'possed to do..." William lolled his head onto the shoulder facing away from Samuel. "'Sides, s'not like I did anythin' BAD, still gots allof my limbs'n shit..." William held up his hands as if to prove he had all his fingers still. He grinned stupidly at Samuel.  
Samuel tenderly took the hand with a cut in it, "You cut your hand, you dumb-dumb." He sighed out. He placed a tender kiss above the cut before standing up, "Stay here." Samuel said with a soft, yet stern voice. With a few long strides, he walked over to one of the cluttered tables and picked up the supplies he needed, walking back over and sitting in front of William. "May I please have your hand?" He asked gently, holding out his own.  
Samuel tenderly took the hand with a cut in it, "You cut your hand, you dumb-dumb." He sighed out. He placed a tender kiss above the cut before standing up, "Stay here." Samuel said with a soft, yet stern voice. With a few long strides, he walked over to one of the cluttered tables and picked up the supplies he needed, walking back over and sitting in front of William. "May I please have your hand?" He asked gently, holding out his own.  
William stuck out his tongue at Samuel, opting instead to lick the blood off the wound. "I'll be jus'fine, don'need help..." He managed stubbornly.  
Samuel rolled his eyes and took William's hand away from his mouth, properly cleaning it and wrapping it with clean bandages, "You don't have to do everything on your own, you know.." He murmured. "Stop being stubborn."  
William frowned. "I can do shit on my own jus'fine, I don' need you atall!" He insisted, but didn't pull back from Samuel. "'Ve ben doin' jus' peachy on m'own for years..." He mumbled, hunching over slightly as his eyes started to slip shut.  
"You're lab is worse from the first day I came here. I don't believe that shit for one second.." Samuel sighed out, leaning forward and placing a tender kiss to William's forehead. "C'mon." With a smooth and swift movement, he scooped the smaller man up in his arms and started walking towards the door of the lab. Carefully stepping over broken bottles and spilled chemicals. He'd told himself he would clean that up later.  
"Nuuuuuuuu..." William protested weakly, his legs barely kicking as he was carried back upstairs. "'M fine, don' need help..."  
William glared up at Samuel. "Yer lucky yer hot... Or I'd kick your ass..."  
"William.." The taller man sighed softly, holding William closer to his chest, "You're too drunk to stand. Granted you are stronger than me, but right now.. you just need to sleep." Samuel carried William into their shared bedroom- which had been empty these past few weeks- and carefully sat William on the bed. He stepped back a bit and sighed down at him, "What am I going to do with you, Will..?"  
William chuckled darkly. "Call me a fuckin' disgrace? I dunno, how 'bout bein' more angry? After all I jus' ignored you fer what, like two weeks or som'thin'?"  
Samuel shook his head, "I am not my fa-" his voice caught in his throat, throwing the room into silence for a moment before he cleared his throat, "Because you're not a disgrace.. You just needed space.. What happened to you.. That was pretty traumatic, I'm sure.." He looked away from the man on the bed and rubbed the back of his neck- rubbing the deepest scar on his body.  
William flopped backwards with a groan. "'Ve dealt with worse, 'll be jus' fine... A-okay..." William giggled quietly. His leg shot out, catching the back of Samuel's knees and making the taller man fall heavily onto him. The breath was knocked out of William, who gave out a ragged laugh. "Much better..." He murmured, holding Samuel tightly to him. "Y'know, I'd rather have the mem'ry of him fucked outta me, but seein' as yer probs not in the mood, I'm jus' gonna sleep..." William slurred, his eyes shutting. He coughed again, rolling the both of them over so they were laying face-to-face.  
Samuel yelped as he fell back was completely taken aback by William's sudden actions and words. "Damnit, William.." He groaned softly, hesitating a moment before wrapped his arms around William's middle, "You're lucky that you're drunk off your ass right now." He said grudgingly, brushing his lips against his forehead once again and holding him close. Secretly, he missed the warmth William gave off when they cuddled like this.  
William was soon deep asleep, his arm thrown over Samuel's waist haphazardly.  
Samuel didn't sleep, he couldn't bring himself to. Too many thoughts swam through his mind- too many worries about the smaller man in his arms. Hours passed and Samuel had to pull himself away. Replacing himself with one of the pillows, he quietly slipped out of the room and down to the kitchen, wanting to start on dinner now that Chris came back from the store he sent him to.  
William woke up a few hours later, his head hazy and just starting to hurt. He sat up with a groan, reaching blearily into the bedside table to grab his painkillers. His downed a few of them dry, then attempted shakily to get to his feet. He stood for a moment with triumph before collapsing in the first step.  
A light knock came from the door before Chris slowly walked in, "D-Dad..?" The silver-haired teen started slowly, "A-Are you al-alright..?" He asked with a slight stutter.  
William raised an arm, waving Chris off. "'M fine, I only fell..." He sat up on his haunches, rubbing his face before getting up again. He braced himself on the windowsill next to the bed, turning slightly to smile weakly at Chris. "You see? I am perfectly alright..."  
Chris bit his lip before hurrying over and wrapping his arms tightly around the scientist, his words bubbling out in a single breath, "SamuelandIweresoworriedaboutyouIthoughtyouweredeadforthelastfewdaysandItriedtocallCherrybutshedidn'tpickupandwhenSamuelsentmeoutofthehouseIthoughtsomethingterriblewouldhappenI'msogladyou'reokay,dad." At the final word he finally choked, a small sob escaping his lips.  
William stared at Chris, his face dropping as he hung his head in shame. "Apologies... I did not mean for you to worry about me..." William sighed out, turning his head away from Chris but allowing him to help him keep his balance.  
Chris lightly gripped the back of William's shirt like he did as a child when he was upset or scared, "We both worried.." He squeaked out, pulling back a bit and looking down at William, is bright blue eyes wet with tears, "I'm SO relieved that you're okay.." He tried to smile but it broke easily before hugging William again.  
William looked guiltily down at the floor as he hugged Chris back. He remained silent, the only consolation he gave the younger being an awkward pat on the back.  
With the pat on his back, Chris awkwardly pulled away, rubbing his arm, "S-Sorry.."  
William shook his head. "No, I am the one who should be sorry. I acted like a child these last few weeks, rashly lashing out in my lab and not pausing to think of the consequences to my actions. I am deeply sorry for how I have been, Chris, and I do not dare to hope for acceptance."  
Chris rubbed his face and shook his head, "No.." He sighed out and took a deep breath, "It's okay, dad.." The teen slowly stepped back, "Samuel.. Samuel's making dinner.. You want him to bring it up or..?"  
William nodded his head. "Yes, that would be preferable..." He sat back down on the bed with a sigh, rubbing his face with his hands. He suddenly froze, his hands coming up to cover his mouth. He got up quickly, stumbling over himself and nearly tripping on his rush to get to the bathroom. William vomited again, cough weakly as what little contents he had in his stomach were forcefully purged.  
Chris jumped a bit and ran downstairs to get Samuel.  
William trembled as he tightly gripped the sides of the toilet, thankfully having gotten there in time. He vomited again, mostly bile this time. He had just finished, starting to retch again when Samuel burst in, rubbing his back soothingly and brushing William's hair gently out of his face.  
Not a word was exchanged between the two as William retched into the bowl. Samuel held most of his hair back, and out of the way. After a few minutes, Samuel got up and drew water from the sink into a glass for William. Sitting on the bathroom floor next to the scientist and handing him the cup, "Here.. This will help."  
William shakily took the cup, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm before taking a sip. He leaned against the toilet heavily, still trembling as the adrenaline slowly stopped rushing through his veins. "T-thank you..." He managed after taking another sip.  
Samuel reached over and flushed it all down, sitting cross-legged in front of William, patiently waiting for him to finish drinking. He nodded with a slight smile, "You feeling better now..?" He asked in a soft tone.  
William nodded his head, shakily getting to his feet. "I only wish to go to bed now..." He mumbled.  
Samuel got up as well and helped William back over to the bed, "Fair enough.. I'll make sure Chris saves left-overs from dinner for you." He smiles softly and helps William sit on the bed, pulling off his jacket and handing him his night shirt and pants. "Do you need anything?"  
William shook his head as he laid down, rolling over after pulling the covers up past his neck. "I will be fine, thank you..."  
Samuel nodded, leaning over and kissing William's head, "I'll be up again in a few hours for bed... Shout if you need anything, alright, love?" He said softly.  
William nodded his head slightly, pulling the covers over his head as he curled into a ball.  
William's assistant rubbed his back for a moment before getting up and quietly leaving the room once more, heading downstairs to check on Chris.  
A few hours later, Samuel returned. William hadn't slept, instead fitfully tossing and turning in an attempt to fall back asleep. As soon as Samuel entered, William stilled. Not wanting to worry Samuel, he pretended to be asleep, allowing Samuel to crawl into bed beside him.  
Samuel pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor, popping his back and sighing out before slipping under the covers and tenderly wrapping his arms protectively around William's form, being careful not to disturb the secretly awake form. Lightly nuzzling his nose into the scientist's neck, he yawns quietly and pulled himself closer to William's smaller form. Letting his eyes droop, he eventually allowed his body to relax as he fell asleep.  
William lay still, trying not to wake Samuel up. Eventually, possibly just after midnight, if the clock on the wall William could just barely see gave any indication, Samuel rolled over in his sleep, now facing away from William. William hesitated a moment before rolling over to stare at Samuel's back. He slowly curled himself around Samuel's thin frame, slotting his own body flush against Samuel's back with a sigh. He moved Samuel's hair away to press a kiss in between his shoulder blades, right at the top of one of Samuel's scars. His eyebrows shot up when Samuel gave a small shudder.  
Samuel's form shifted a bit before settling once more. His face scrunched up as he lightly clutched the sheets of the bed. The younger man was starting to have a nightmare.  
William held Samuel a bit tighter as the younger man began to whimper in fear. William whispered sweet nothings into Samuel's back as Samuel got more agitated. William shifted his hips forward slightly, hooking one leg over and around Samuel's, to which Samuel let out a quiet groan and slowly started calming down. William raised an eyebrow. 'Is-is he just having a nightmare or is he just sexually frustrated?' William thought to himself.  
After a few more minutes of Samuel murmuring things to himself in his dreams, "no.. no don't.. Will.. Mmph.." Samuel eventually jolted himself awake, "NO!" He yelled out into the darkness of the room, his breath shallow while panting softly, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Samuel tried to process where he was and what was holding him from behind- mind finally snapping back to reality when he realized that he was in bed and William was the one holding him. "W..William..?" He asked softly, turning his head a bit to try and look at the scientist.  
William looked at Samuel quizzically. 'Yeah, definitely just a nightmare.' "Are you alright?" He whispered.  
Samuel swallowed and carefully turned over in William's arms to face him, "Y-Yeah I.. It was just a nightmare.." He replied quietly, brining a hand up and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I'm sorry if I woke you, love.."  
William shook his head, burying his face in the junction between Samuel's neck and shoulder. "You did not wake me, for I could not sleep anyway." He pressed a light kiss to Samuel's neck in an attempt to calm the younger man down.  
Samuel closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, "Sorry that you couldn't sleep.." He gently wrapped his arms around William's waist as he nuzzled his nose into his soft hair. They laid in quiet for a few moments before Samuel was able to fully calm himself, relaxing into the mattress once more as his breathing steadied into quiet breaths.  
William allowed Samuel to stay where he was, even though something felt off. He squirmed a bit, unsure of what was wrong.  
Samuel pulled back a bit and looked down at the smaller man, "You okay?" the taller man asked softly, his voice still a bit gruff from sleepiness.  
William looked down at himself, looked back up at Samuel with a red face, then pressed a little bit closer. "Uh... Yes..." William pressed his thighs together uncertainly before continuing. "Just.. Can you please flip over for me?" William asked shyly.  
Samuel rose his scarred eyebrow before shrugging and rolling onto his stomach with a soft grunt, "What's on your mind, Will?"  
William hesitantly scooted closer to Samuel, rolling him back onto his side so that William was flush against Samuel again. "D-uh-does this explain it...?" William asked quietly, his hips half rolling against Samuel's. 'Sweet science this is *embarrassing* , I feel like a horny teen again.' William thought as he pressed his face between Samuel's shoulder blades, his hips jerking again.


	14. Recompense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be smut, Ye be warned. Heheheheh, poor Chris. E;P

Samuel's face flushed and a quiet groan escaped his throat, "W-Will..?" He asked hesitantly, lightly gripping the sheets.  
William attempted to stop himself. "I-i am so fucking sorry, I haven't the foggiest what has come over me..." William bit his lip. He ground just slightly against Samuel this time, trying not to freak Samuel out. His grip around Samuel's waist tightened a smidgeon, one hand firmly gripping Samuel's hip.  
Samuel shook his head, "N-no, it's okay.. Keep going.." the taller man breathed out, attempting to hide his face in a pillow as he bit his lip.  
William let out a low groan, his hips rolling smoothly against Samuel's as he pressed a kiss to Samuel's shoulder. William's other hand, the one not holding tightly into Samuel's hip, wandered up Samuel's chest as William started to kiss Samuel's neck.  
Samuel let out a low moan from deep in his throat, a slight shiver running up his spine from all of the tender touches and kisses. Samuel reached back and rested on hand on William's hip, gently squeezing it while his other went to intertwine with William's hand resting against his chest.  
William slowly released his grip on Samuel's hip, his hand slowly traveling downwards to cup the younger man softly. William sucked lightly on Samuel's neck, grinding his hips a bit harder.  
"Mmph.." Samuel bit his bottom lip as he lightly bucked into William's hand. "F-Fuck.." He murmured quietly.  
William bit lightly at the base of Samuel's neck, quickly lacing it with the flat of his tongue before continuing to kiss and suck hickies gently into his lover's neck. William slowly moved his hand under Samuel's waistband, gripping the half-hard member lightly. He continued to grind gently against Samuel, letting out soft noises and sweet nothings under his breath. "So beautiful...hnn...don't deserve you...ah...love you so much~"  
To keep from moaning out too loudly at the touch, Samuel brought William's hand to his mouth and bit down on the side of his thumb. "Mmm.." He didn't realize how much he needed this until now- how much he missed William these past few weeks as he rolled his slender hips into the shorter man's hand.  
William let out a soft groan at the bite. His face was a bright red, his breath coming out in pants. He stopped his ministrations, turning Samuel over to face him. William placed a tender kiss to Samuel's lips. "Do you... Would you like to try something a little different...?" He asked tentatively, kissing Samuel softly but passionately.  
Samuel closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, pulling back just enough to reply with hot words, "What.. What do you have in mind, love?" He purred softly against William's lips, lightly pecking them and working his way down, trailing kisses across his jaw down to his neck.  
William gulped, unsure whether or not to continue as normal or with what he had planned. "I... May I please-ah- f-fuck you...?" He asked quietly, biting his lip in shame.  
Samuel paused and pulled back, looking up at William, "Is that what you want?" He asked in a gentle voice.  
William flushed a deep red, nodding hesitantly. "Y-yes..."  
Samuel paused a moment before grinning, "Alright, love.." With a slow movement, he rolled them both over so William sat on top of Samuel's hips, gently taking his hand, "Will, look at me," He said quietly, reaching up and cupping William's cheek tenderly, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. So you go as fast or as slow as you want, alright? If you want to stop, we can." He tilted his head and gave the smaller man his famous lop-sided grin, a small dimple forming in his cheek.  
William covered his mouth with one hand, letting out a small noise. He took a deep breath, then smoothly took off his shirt, dropping it beside the bed. He shifted so that he was now resting between Samuel's legs, leaning up to kiss Samuel softly, who in turn sat up on his forearms to meet William halfway. William smiled into the kiss, and lightly gripped Samuel's hips. He traced Samuel's sharp hipbones with his thumbs as he resumed his grinding against Samuel.  
Samuel gently rubbed William's cheek for a moment, but as he started grinding he had to bring his hand down to the mattress, tilting his head and leaning more into the tender kiss. Sliding his tongue across the bottom of William's soft lip, he asked for entrance as he lightly brought his hips up to meet with the smaller man's grinding.  
William opened his mouth, deepening the kiss with a soft moan. He slowly worked Samuel's pants down his hips, along with his unders.  
Samuel tenderly roamed inside of William's mouth, running his tongue along the scientist's and the roof of his mouth. Sighing softly as his erection bobbed freely up, he slowly pulled away from the kiss and looked up at the man on his lap.  
William gulped, nervous despite the many times he had already with Samuel. He looked up at Samuel to see him staring. William looked back nervously. "Y-yes...?" He asked.  
Samuel smiled softly, his hands tenderly resting on William's hips as he leaned up once more and pecked his lips, "I love you." Samuel breathed quietly.  
William let out a breath of relief, kissing Samuel back before fully removing his bottoms. William shifted Samuel so that his legs were bent, knees on either side of William's hips. William leant back up to kiss Samuel as one hand trailed down towards his ass.  
A small shiver trailed up Samuel's spine at the touch tracing downwards. The lankier man wrapped his arms around William's neck and pulled him down, lightly kissing his nose before moving his hips towards his lover's.  
William sighed out as he started to gently prep Samuel, moving his head down slightly to suck and lick at the opposite side of his neck as before.  
"Mm.." Samuel groaned quietly, tilting his head to the side to expose more of his neck to William, allowing his arms to gently unwrap from around William's neck and lay above his head.  
William blinked at Samuel's submission, starting to get a bit nervous again. "D-do you uh, think you're ready...?" He asked quietly, pulling away to sit back on his haunches. He was looking anywhere but at Samuel.  
Samuel's cheeks heated up, biting his lip as he brought one hand down, tracing down his own stomach, brushing past his member to his entrance, "A-Almost.." He said quietly, pressing a finger into himself with a breathy moan before sliding in another. His own breath catching in his throat as he stretched himself out for William, " *God* ..." Samuel groaned softly as he continued fingering himself.  
William's face went a dark red as he watched Samuel, his eyes widening. William shook slightly in an attempt to calm himself down a bit. 'Don't ravage him, this may be his first time on bottom. Don't ravage him this may be his first time in bottom. Don't- *oh to hell with it* ' William moaned. He grabbed Samuel by the knees, bringing them up and over his shoulders with a growl as he leaned down and kissed Samuel roughly.  
Samuel gasped out at the sudden shift forcing him to pull his fingers out of himself with a wince of pain, but he quickly recovered as he wrapped his arms around William's neck, kissing him back a bit sloppily.  
William pulled back after a bit, resting his forehead against Samuel's as he panted. He lined himself up with Samuel, waiting for Samuel to give a go-ahead before slowly pushing in.  
Samuel bit his lip and nodded, tilting his head back as William pressed into him, "F-Fuuuuck, Will.." He moaned lowly, biting his bottom lip and screwing his eyes shut.  
William panted, his head falling onto Samuel's shoulder. He moved as slowly as he could handle until he was fully sheathed, his entire body trembling slightly.  
Samuel groaned softly, his back arching slightly, "H-Hang on.." He moaned quietly, "I.. I-I need to adjust.." Samuel's breath was hot and heavy as he tried to keep from making himself tight around William. At a moment he nodded, "Okay.. M-Move.." He sighed out, hands shaking.  
William gasped as he started thrusting slowly. He leaned back a bit to allow some comfort for Samuel, but stopped moving when he saw Samuel completely.  
Samuel moaned softly at the pleasure but looked up at William when he stopped, "Hey.. A-Are you alright?" He asked his lover with genuine concern. Propping himself up on his elbows to look at him easier, "Will..?"  
William's mouth had dropped open at the sight of Samuel debauched under him, sweating and gripping the sheets. William blinked, shaking his head out of his daze before kissing Samuel passionately, thrusting into Samuel yet again.  
Samuel tipped his head to the side and kissed William back with vigor, slowly falling back to the sheets as his back arched up to meet William's thrusts. The taller man moaned out softly as his golden eyes rolled back before he closed them.  
William broke the kiss, instead starting to move a bit faster. William bit his lip as Samuel continued to moan and whimper. Eventually each thrust would move Samuel up a half-inch or so on the bed. William soon took ahold of Samuel's member carefully, jacking him in time with his thrusts.  
Samuel's hips bucked into William's motions, the younger man almost losing himself completely in the moment. His breathing hot and a bit labored as his hands reached up and gripped the posts of the headboard for support.  
William bit his lip harder, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. He let out a moan, which he quickly stifled by biting down on Samuel's shoulder as his thrusts became irregular.  
Samuel gasped out at the sudden bite, "William.." He moaned lowly into the man's ear, "William- I-I can't.." He groaned softly, gripping the posts more tightly as the thrusts gained their speed and William's touch on his member more firm.  
William slammed into Samuel one last time, letting out a loud cry as he came. He was still buried deep as he came down from his high, panting slightly.  
Samuel groaned out as his lover came inside of him before following close behind himself. The two of them laid still for a moment, panting as their breaths mixed in the quiet air around them. Samuel weakly looked up at William and reached a hand out, gently cupping his cheek in his hand, "That was.. That was amazing, hahah.." He said tiredly.  
William pulled out of Samuel, rolling onto his back with a grin. "Heheh..." William suddenly shot up, terror on his face as he stared at Samuel. "Oh shit!" He exclaimed.  
Samuel winced a bit as he pulled out and jumped when William shot up, "Wha-What is it, Will? What's the matter??" He asked quickly, his eyes narrowing in concern.  
"Chris is in the other room! He could hear everything!" William buried his burning face in his hands in mortification.   
"YES I COULD YOU ASSHOLES!" Could be heard from the room next door as William let out a strangled wail, rolling onto his side as he curled into a ball. "Oh sweet science..."  
At the sound of Chris' yelling, Samuel cupped his forehead in his hand and burst out laughing.  
William whipped his head around to glare at Samuel over his shoulder before pulling the covers back up and over his head. "The one time I do NOT get fucked... I am never going to live this down..." William whimpered, his voice muffled slightly by the sheets.  
Samuel's laughs boiled down to giggled as he leaned down and wrapped the grumpy scientist into a big hug- comforters and all, "Aww, I'm sorry, Will." He pulled the blankets off his head and kissed William's cheek, "It's the middle of the night, we didn't expect 'im to be up." He sighed with a small smile, hugging the smaller man close, "I love you, William."  
William sighed. "I love you as well, but you cannot deny that I am easily loud enough to wake him up. Even if he was not awake before, he has probably only been up for just long enough to hear the worst of it. Sweet science, I have scarred my boy even more!" William grumbled.  
Samuel chuckled quietly, shaking his head, "You and I both know that Chris has seen and heard worse shit than you moaning and fucking me into the sheets." He placed a few soft kisses to the smaller man's head and neck. "His fault for actually waking up for once at the most horrible time."  
William flushed indignantly. "No need to be so vulgar..." He slowly relaxed into Samuel's touch, simply bathing in the afterglow.  
Samuel shrugged with a gentle grin, "Sorry. Couldn't help myself." He opened up the sheets just enough for him to slide in next to William and snuggle up behind the smaller man, holding him close like he's the most precious thing in the world. And to Samuel, he most certainly was. "I love you so much, William. And I'll always be here for you. Don't you ever forget that, alright?" He whispered kindly into the scientist's ear.  
William sighed. "And I you, Samuel. Now let us sleep, I am absolutely drained." He snuggled a bit closer to Samuel, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly.  
Samuel smiled softly as his eyes began to droop. Pressing one more kiss to William's cheek he murmured, "Good night, love."  
"Good night." William reciprocated, finally drifting off to sleep.


End file.
